Holiday Hopes
by AbigailStantonWCTH
Summary: A young girl, and a broken mother. Both must hold onto hope to see them make it through. Bill promises to bring her back, but will she return?
1. Explanations

**Hi Guys! Since season five is now upon us (and I'm glad it is) I have decided to jump ahead in my story lines to just after season four. If you haven't read my other fanfic, Orphaned Heart- Broken Heart, I recommend you do before reading this.. I will do a short introduction to the characters I have added in (most of them will only be mentioned once or twice, but its still good for you to know who they are) I'll also do a short description of the events that proceed this story, eventually these will be full length stories.**

 **I decided to jump ahead because it would take waaaaay too long for me to write up everything I have thought up between season 1 and this story. I got the idea for this story after watching the Christmas episode and from a couple of other ideas I had come up with.**

 **As always, please give me POSITIVE feedback about my writing! Thanks! Any way, enough talking, lets get started!**

* * *

 **The Characters**

 **Josie Blackwell:** Josie lost her father in the mining disaster and her mother had passed on previously. She is the heir to her father's ranch, "Langara" when she becomes of age. She is an expert horsewoman and a crack shot with both pistols and rifles. She's sixteen now, but she has the determination and courage of a woman twice her age. She spends most of her time out on the ranges, looking after her horses and cattle, and she also likes to spend time with Abigail, Colin, Bill and the sister she never knew she had, Montana.

 **Matt McGregor:** Josie's foreman at the ranch. He and Abigail both jointly look after the legal side of things until Josie reaches adulthood. He is the matriarch of the McGregor Clan.

 **Colin McGregor:** Matt's eldest son. He works on Josie's ranch and sometimes fills in as the minister when Frank isn't around. He thinks of Josie as a younger sister.

 **Emily Mcgregor:** Colin's wife.

 **Josh McGregor:** Emily and Colin's adopted son. He's nine now.

 **Annie McGregor:** Emily and Colin's daughter. She is about five and is best friends with Opal.

 **Rob McGregor:** He is Matt's second son. He works on Josie's ranch.

 **Danni McGregor:** She is Matt's daughter. She's eighteen now and works at the store in town.

 **Michael McGregor:** Kathleen's son from her previous relationship. (Her first husband died)

 **Jay McGregor:** Also known as the Gunsmith. He is Matt's nephew and the best gunfighter and marshal in Canada and America. He and his brother, Luke, both own "The Smoking Gun" ranch.

 **Luke McGregor:** Jay's brother.

 **Thowra:** Josie's best stallion. He's a big, black and somewhat of a handful, but is devoted to Josie

 **Wolf:** Josie's dog. He's the father of Bill's dog, Buddy.

 **Buddy:** A full blooded wolf who Josie trains to work with Bill.

 **Rachel McCallister:** Abigail's niece who came to Hope Valley to get away from her abusive husband. She also was best friends with Emily back in Australia.

 **Mr. McCallister:** A horrible man who uses his power to get what he wants. He tried to put Hope Valley under after they protected Rachel from him, and as revenge, has decided to get back at them, mostly Abigail.

 **Amelia Smith:** A young girl who helps Josie.

 **Snow Maiden:** An Indian girl who helps Josie as well.


	2. What's Happened Previously

**What's happened previously….. Like I said, they are brief.. Use your imagination. And yes, its got a bit more action in it…. And yes, its got some more characters in in, but I do use the WCTH characters a lot, but sorry, Jack and Elizabeth fans, this is not a romance about them!**

(Season 1)

The McGregor's move to Coal Valley and Josie offers them work and a place to stay at her ranch. Josie uses the money that she found to increase the size of her ranch and buys the other, old rundown ranch just on the side of the town. Josie also get shot by a mysterious character while Abigail is away looking after a friend.

A rival rancher, Mr Stone, calls in a loan that her father had with him, and if they didn't pay in time, he would take the land. Through a series of events, the McGregor's, Abigail and Josie manage to pay back the loan and Mr. Stone leaves town.

Josie goes on a business trip by herself to get some more horses to increase her herd and breeding operation. Montana Hale arrives during this time.

(Season 2)

With the mining trial, Josie tells the prosecutor about the evidence she has. One of Gowan's men hears about it, tells Gowan, and in a desperate attempt to stop her from telling everyone about it, he gets his men to kidnap her until the trial is over. Josie escapes and arrives in time to add to what Clara testifies.

The McGregor's, Josie and Abigail travel to Hamilton to find Clara. Josie takes a couple of her horses along, with the intent to race them at a major meeting held in Toronto. While there, she learns about a huge horse stealing operation. When Thowra is nearly stolen, Josie decides to investigate deeper and she finds out that Sir Lionel is in with the gang deep. She tells Bill what she finds out after a mare is stolen and she finds the other stolen horses. Bill arrests Sir Lionel at the Thatcher's party after he tries to steal Thowra a second time. Josie makes a deal that allows her to run her horses in the races, and she wins.

When they return to Hope Valley, Josie is involved in a major wagon accident and she has to learn and get the will to walk again with help from the people she loves.

After Josie can walk again, a person from Montana's past comes to Hope Valley and causes trouble that lands Montana headed for death row. Josie finds her father's diary that tells what happened, and she tells Matt what she knows, but Samuel Cawley (who was the one that shot Josie in the first place) finds out and he conveniently makes Josie disappear and the McGregors, Jack and Bill have to find her. Abigail convinces the judge to adjourn the case until they find Josie and get the evidence to clear Montana's name. He agrees to let that happen, and they do find Josie, and she clears Montana's name and gets Samuel put in jail.

(Season 3)

(Follows mostly the tv story lines)

(Season 4)

A gang that comes to town tries to rob the stagecoach and pulls a number of robberies throughout the town, injuring Montana when they try to rob her house. She nearly dies, but Carson manages to save her. Bill, Jack and Frank catch the men when they try to rob the bank.

When Abigail wont give in to the railway, he tries to get rid of the mayor permanently but lucky for Abigail, he's not a very good shot. He tries twice, misses on the first time and tries a few days later, this time wounding her. Jay wounds him back, but he takes off. Jay rides out and meets Bill and Aj on their way back to town and fills him in on what has happened. Bill tries to arrest Ray, but he pulls a gun on him. Abigail then gets her own out and helps Bill arrest him.

Abigail's niece, Rachel McCallister comes to Hope Valley to escape her husband, but he finds her and causes major trouble for the town, but they stand up against him and he plots his revenge.


	3. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

 **There is some dialogue from the Christmas episode in thins chapter… I will use a bit from it over the duration of this story, but I hope you like it. All credits go to Crown Media and all those associated with making us a great show! So far I've had about two hundred views, but no reviews! I need feedback on this!**

* * *

It was a beautiful winter day in Hope Valley. A layer of snow covered the ground, decorating the countryside and that, mingled with the numerous Christmas decorations that were beginning to appear around town, gave a sense of Christmas spirit and joy. But for two women, this was going to be quite a sad Christmas, because both of them had people they loved who were missing…

* * *

Abigail was dusting down the furniture in the living room, humming a Christmas carol as she went around. As she finished the bookcase, she turned around to dust the coffee table and saw the picture of her and Josie, sitting together on Josie's horse. She stopped humming and tenderly picked up the picture, her eyes filling with tears. "Oh, Josie, darling, where are you?" She asked as she ran her fingers over the picture.

As Abigail was absorbed in her thoughts, Bill Avery entered the kitchen. He was about to ask Abigail about what she was planning on doing for the Christmas dinner, when he saw her next to the couch, holding the picture of Josie and he also saw the tears running down Abigail's cheeks. Bill's heart went out to Abigail and he went over to her. As he stood beside her, he put his arm around her. "Are you alright?"

Abigail looked up at him. "Its just the waiting. Wondering if she's safe. Not knowing what's happened to her. Not knowing is she's alive or dying somewhere. Hoping against hope that this is just a bad dream and Josie will run through the door, ask for the cookies she loves and throw her arms around me while she calls me "Mum."

"I know, I know." Bill said as he gently brushed her tears away with his hand. "When I made the promise to you that I would find her, I meant it and I intend to follow it through. I know how much she means to you. She means a lot to me and the town as well, and I know how your feeling. I too often wonder where she is and how she's doing. I wont stop searching until I find out what has happened to her. I promise you Abigail, I'll never give up."

"I know." Abigail said, her voice breaking. "I know your doing the best you can, but…"

"But its hard. I know." Bill said as he gave her a hug to reassure her, and Abigail held on tight. "Does that make you feel a little better?"

"Yes." Abigail replied as she let go. "A little, thanks Bill." She was about to say more when she heard the door open and she saw Colin walk in.

"The tree's up, so we're on schedule." He said as he entered the kitchen, then he saw that Abigail had been crying. He looked at Bill, then back to Abigail. "Bad news about Josie?" he asked almost scared with the answer he might receive.

Abigail blew her nose before she replied. "No news. Its just the waiting. I'll be out shortly… I just need some time. I'm sorry you had to see me like this." She apologized to Colin.

"Its fine Abigail, we're friends. I know how much you miss her, and I do to. I'll go outside and let you get your emotions together." Colin replied as he put his hand on her shoulder. "I can let the town know about the tree if you like."

"No, its fine, Colin. I'll do it."

* * *

"So look within and you will see the magic of the Wishing tree." Elizabeth read from the book for the classes reading time. "So make a wish a tie it on and soon your wish just might be gone, which means that someone cares for you and they might make your wish come true." She closed the book and looked at the class. "The end." She saw Laura raise her hand and nodded. "Laura."

"So, if you put a wish on the tree, you'll get what you asked for?"

"That's the idea." Elizabeth replied. "And according to the book, your wish can be for anything. A toy, a hope, a dream, and then someone can take your wish down and try to make it come true. Yes, Phillip?"

"What if they cant?"

"That's what's so special about the tree. If one person cant make the wish come true, then the legend says that the tree will magically make it happen."

"Can you make a wish for someone else?" This question came from Harper.

"Those are the best kind."

"I wish we could get a wishing tree." Opal said, a bit crestfallen that it mightn't happen.

"Well, Opal, I am happy to report that Hope Valley already has its very own wishing tree, and Mayor Stanton will show it to all of us this afternoon on main street, so we will be ending class early, so we can all be there for the tree presentation." Elizabeth ended as the children began to cheer. "Class dismissed!" She said as she rang her cowbell.

The children began to leave the class room, and Elizabeth gave a contented sigh as she put her book down, but then she saw Cody still sitting in his chair. "Cody?" Elizabeth walked over and sat down in the chair in front of him. "Is everything alright?"

"I don't know what to get Miss Abigail, I mean, Mom, for Christmas. Its our first since she adopted us." Cody explained.

"Mmm, Moms are always a challenge."

"She's really happy that Becky's coming home from school."

"Well, there's your answer. Having you and Becky here for Christmas is all your mom could ever want."

Cody didn't look convinced.

"That's not all is it?"

Cody shook his head. "I want Mom to be happy again. Ever since Josie was kidnapped, she's changed. She doesn't smile as often, and sometimes I hear her crying herself to sleep. Mom doesn't know that I hear her, but I do. I know she puts on a brave face to show me how to be brave for Josie, but she's struggling too."

"Oh, Cody, I'm sorry, I didn't realize what you've been struggling with." Elizabeth said with sympathy. "Is there anything I can do?"

"No, its okay, Miss Thatcher, I just needed to tell someone, I feel better now. I just wish for something else to give her, to try and make her happy again."

"You know, you could put that on the tree."

"That's a great idea!" Cody said with more enthusiasm than he'd shown all day. "Thanks Miss Thatcher!" He said as he got up.

"Your welcome."

Cody stopped and turned back at his teacher again. "I bet you wish Mountie Jack could be here for Christmas.

Elizabeth nodded. "Yes. I do."

"Me too." He picked up his coat and left.

* * *

Abigail had managed to gather herself together and was working on the Christmas stockings for her kids. One for Becky, one for Cody, and one in faith for Josie. Then she heard Bill come in.

"Well, you must be counting the minutes until Becky comes home." Abigail nodded as she took the glass he extended to her. "Thank you. Yes, it will be nice to have my whole family together for the holidays, well, except for Josie." Abigail sighed.

Bill sat down. "Yeh." Bill took a drink out of his cup, and watched Abigail do the same.

"Your eggnog tastes different this year." Abigail remarked.

"Yah, added more nutmeg, now its got some real kick."

"I'll say."

"I have a question for you. The Christmas tree out on main street, what's that all about?"

"You don't like the wishing tree?"

"I didn't say that I didn't like it, I just like to stick to tradition."

"Oh, we are, but like your eggnog, this Christmas tree has a little kick."

"I guess it will be fun for the kids."

"Oh, it will be fun for everyone, you just have to believe."

Bill noticed Elizabeth come in. "Why the long face? You know, I'm going to get you a glass of my homemade eggnog." He said as he got up.

"No, no, no, okay." She said when she saw that Bill wouldn't give in. She sighed and sat down.

"That for Jack?"

"Mhm. Figure if I can't be with him on Christmas I can at least I can let him know I'm thinking of him."

"Have you heard from him recently?" Abigail said as she continued to sew Josie's Christmas stocking.

"Its been eight days."

Even though Abigail was hurting, she saw that Elizabeth need some comfort. "I'm sure he's fine."

"He said that he has a very important mission, and for me not to worry."

"Well then, I wouldn't worry, and you know I'm here for you. By the way, Christmas dinner will be at six."

"What can I bring?"

"Oh, biscuits and mashed potatoes would be great."

"Alright, I guess I'd better get to the mercantile in time for the mail pick up." Elizabeth contemplated if she should tell Abigail what Cody had said. "Abigail, Cody spoke to me today."

Abigail looked up. "Is everything alright?"

"He's worried about you."

"Worried about me? Worried about what?"

"How your coping with Josie being gone. He says he can see that you've changed, and he says he hears you crying at night. Now I know its hard, but this is what Cody has told me. He's really concerned about you." Elizabeth said softly.

"I didn't know that he could hear me." Abigail said, with her head down. "I've been trying to stay strong for Cody and for the town, but its hard. Especially at Christmas. Bill still hasn't gotten any leads as to where she is, but he is still trying."

"I've seen that he has, and it good that you have both him and Frank to talk to. Look, I'm really sorry, but I have to go, but Abigail, if you need to talk, you know where to come." Elizabeth said as she got up.

"Thanks Elizabeth." Abigail said as she looked up, then she chuckled as she saw Bill stop Elizabeth.

"Elizabeth, this will perk you right up." Bill said as he put the glass under her nose.

Elizabeth took one whiff of it and smelt the nutmeg. She quickly tried to think of something that wouldn't offended Bill. "Oh, um, save some for me." She said as she walked away.

"But." Bill started, rather confused.

Abigail stood up. "Is everything on schedule?" She said to change the subject.

"Yeh, it should be. Well, to holiday cheer, Abigail." Bill said as he raised the glass he was going to give to Elizabeth.

Abigail picked hers up and clicked it against Bills. "And a very Merry Christmas." She waited until Bill had turned, and made a face at the smell, then she saw Bill looking at her. "Oh, it's good." She said, hoping he hadn't seen the face she'd made.

* * *

"Come on, lets get them moving, don't let them lag!" Josie yelled from the back of the bay stallion she was riding. "We need to make it to Lethbridge by nightfall if we're going to make it back to Hope Valley for Christmas."

"Right, Josie." A young Indian girl replied as she moved her buckskin stallion faster to turn back a wandering mare. She was about eighteen years old, with beautiful black eyes and hair, but she was wearing the dress of the English people. "Easy boy." She said as he began to get a bit fidgety.

"How much further?" Another girl asked, this one an American. She moved her horse further in to the trail to avoid the trees. She looked about twenty, with blue eyes, blond hair and a beautiful smile.

"About ten more miles." Josie replied. "So, lets pick up the pace." She yelled back above the sound of the herd of mustangs they'd rescued. She nudged her horse into a canter and caught up to the Indian girl. "I'm going to scout ahead and try to find a path with the least amount of snow." She motioned to a rise. "Bring the horses down to the creek at the bottom of that hill and wait until I come back. The horses need a quick rest anyway. Make sure they have a quick drink, please Snow Maiden."

Snow Maiden nodded. "Its good. Horses do need to rest. Foals are tired." She replied as she flicked her whip out at another wandering filly to bring it back to the main bunch.

"Thanks. I knew I could count on you." She groaned as she sat through one of the massive bucks that this horse loved to give. She pulled his head up and gave the horse a swift kick. "Come on, get up you crazy thing." The horse gave another buck and began to shy at a rabbit on the side of the trail, and for the thousandth time, Josie wished for her stallion, Thowra.

Josie galloped the horse up the side of the steep hill and surveyed the snowy landscape before she decided to dismount and have a little rest. As she had a drink from the deerskin waterbag, she made a mental calculation of how much further she had to get back to Hope Valley. She figured out that it was at least another two hundred miles away and she sighed. "I don't think we'll make it in time for Christmas." She said to herself as she looked at the rough map in front of her.

She knew they would have been back in Hope Valley weeks ago if she and the other girls hadn't decided to bring the mustangs with them, but she couldn't leave them to be killed as vermin by the ranchers. Especially after she had witnessed a mare killed by one of them, leaving behind a five-month-old foal, and then the others that they had put out of their misery after they'd been shot, but not killed.

The memories of the horses that hadn't been shot properly still saddened her. Seeing foals mourning over their mothers, and horses trying to escape from their hunters on three legs because they'd been shot through a leg, hip or shoulder had forced her to make sure that they would try and get as many of them back to safety. Somewhere they wouldn't get shot at by angry ranchers who blamed them for taking grass from their cattle.

As she folded the map, she thought of Abigail, Cody, Becky, Colin and the rest of the people she had been taken from. Did they miss her? Did they think she was dead? Where they looking for her? She put the map back into the saddle bag and wished again that she'd never gone fishing that day…


	4. Back Story 1

**Back Story 1**

 **The way I'm going to do this is I'll have chapters of in the present of the story, (like chapter 1) and then chapters in the past (like this one called Back Story) All the ones that are called "Chapter 1, 2…" are in the present. And of course, all the ones that are "Back Story 1, 2…" are in the past.**

* * *

The young woman stepped down out of the stage and gave a contented sigh as she looked around the town. _So, this is Hope Valley where Aunt Abigail live_ s. She thought as she surveyed the town. "Miss McCallister?" A voice brought her back to the present. "Here you go, you're such a good boy." Cooed that lady who had been holding David as she passed him down to his mother. "Thank you." Rachel replied as she took him in her arms.

"What would you like done with your bags, Miss?" The driver asked as he untied her luggage from the back of the coach.

Rachel quickly looked around. "Um, just next to the chair please, oh, and the crib belongs to me as well." She said as she pointed to a wooden cane basket on the top of the roof. She waited until the driver had gotten her belongings down, then she placed David inside his crib and gave the driver a small tip for his help.

As she watched the coach move down the road, she wondered if coming to Hope Valley was the right thing to do, then she saw her aunt. "Abigail? Abigail!"

Abigail heard someone calling her from behind and turned around. "Rachel Harrison?"

Rachel nodded.

"Rachel!" Abigail said as she ran over to her. "You didn't tell me you were coming to visit!" She exclaimed as she gave Rachel a warm hug.

Any doubts about if she should have come here or not quickly vanished as Rachel saw how excited her Aunt was to see her. "If I did, it wouldn't have been a surprise, would it?"

Abigail nodded, still not believing what she was seeing. "What are you doing here?"

"There's plenty of time to answer your questions later, but first I'd like you to meet someone." Rachel giggled as she led Abigail over to the crib. She picked David up and handed him to Abigail. "Abigail, this is David. David, meet my Aunt Abigail."

Abigail giggled as David tried to grab her hair with his chubby hands. "How old is he?"

"Ten months today." Rachel replied with pride.

"You must be exhausted and hungry after your ride in from Cape Fullerton."

"Yes, the food at the way station wasn't exactly first class, and neither was the accommodation." Rachel laughed. "They didn't even have lights."

"Come on then. You can come over to the café and I'll get Emily to serve you up a nice meal. It's on the house."

"Why don't you join me?" Rachel asked as she took David back from Abigail.

"I would love to, but I have to go to the office, I'm already late." Abigail said, noticing Bill crossing the street. "Bill, can you come over here for a minute?"

Bill checked the road before he jogged over. "Yes, Abigail?"

"Can you give Rachel a hand with her luggage? I need to go to the office. Just take it to the café for the moment until I find somewhere for Rachel to stay."

"Oh, you don't need to do that." Rachel protested.

"Well, the hotel isn't suitable for a young woman to stay in by herself, but I don't have any room at my place either. I'll ask Emily if you can stay with her and her husband when I get off work." Abigail replied.

Bill stood waiting for the women to make up their minds, but he quickly got tired of that and placed the luggage just inside the door of the café. "If you don't need me anymore, I'll get back to the jail. I'll stop by later with your lunch, Abigail." Bill said as he passed them on his way back to the Mountie office.

"Thanks, Bill." Abigail replied as she started to walk to her office.

"You don't mind if I walk with you?" Rachel asked quietly.

"No, it's a pleasure."

"Is it just me, or is there something going on between you and that handsome sheriff?" Rachel prodded.

Abigail rolled her eyes and went red. "We're just friends and business partners, nothing more. Is this why you wanted to walk with me?"

Rachel giggled. "Maybe. I'm not blind, I can see the way he looks at you. He's in looove with you." She joked.

"Rachel!" Abigail laughed. "We're only friends." She was about to say more when Josie came galloping up on Thowra, and leading Abigail's horse, Eagle. "Josie, what's wrong?"

Josie slid Thowra to a stop. She didn't answer the question but made her own. "Is Carson in town?"

"No, he had to go out to visit the Johnsons. Their boy is sick, and Faith went with him. He won't be back for a few hours. What's happened?"

"There's been an accident on the road just south of here. A buggy went over the side of the bridge and there's a couple of people badly injured. If you can ride out and see what you can do, I'll go and try to find Dr. Shepherd and Faith." Josie said as she threw the other horse's reins to Abigail.

"Right." Abigail said as she mounted the horse. "Get Bill to come give me a hand too, and tell Lee to bring a couple of his wagons. If they're badly injured, we'll have to move them using the wagons. Rachel?" Abigail asked as she was about to turn the horse around.

"Yes?"

"I'll need you to tell that man in the grey suit over there that I can't meet him today. Let him know that we'll reschedule his appointment for a time tomorrow."

"Alright."

"Thanks, Git up." Abigail quickly wheeled her horse around and cantered in the direction that Josie had just come from.

Rachel sighed as she watched Abigail and the other girl that had come to tell her about the accident ride back out of town again. _Well, this was a unexpected welcome._ She chuckled to herself, then started on the task Abigail had appointed to her.

* * *

As Rachel opened the door to the café, the smell of fresh bread greeted her and reminded her of just how hungry she was. She put David down into his crib and sat down at a table.

"Won't be a minute." A voice called out from the kitchen, then Rachel could hear the ladies' footsteps approaching "Rachel?"

She turned and saw her best friend from school standing near the counter. "Emily! What on earth are you doing here?"

"Well, I could ask you the same thing!" Emily exclaimed. "The last I knew of you, you were still living in Australia."

"Well, my husband owns a lot of properties around the world, and he had to come to Vancouver on business, so I decided to come and visit my Aunt Abigail. I never expected to find you here too!" Rachel exclaimed she gave her friend a hug. "How on earth did you end up here?"

"Long story, but that can wait. I want to hear about you." Emily teased as she sat down at a table next to Rachel.

"And I'll be happy to listen to it, but right now David needs to have a feed. Is there any place private that I could feed him in?" Rachel asked as David began to fuss and cry.

"I'm sure Abigail wouldn't mind you using one of the rooms upstairs. She would be happy for you to use it. I have to go and make a delivery of backed goods to the school for the kids treats, and then I'll be back and we can talk." Emily said as she got up and grabbed a basket that was on another table.

"Okay, sounds good." Rachel said as she picked David up. "Yes, yes, lets go get you fed."

* * *

It was later in the afternoon when Abigail and Josie finally got back to the café. She walked through the kitchen door after Josie closed it and sighed as she took off her gloves and muddy coat. "Emily?"

"In here, Abigail." Emily called out from the front of the café.

"Here," Abigail passed a towel to Josie. "I won't be long." She said as she walked into the other room.

Emily turned around. "What on earth happened to you?" She asked as she looked at Abigail's muddy and damp clothes.

"Well, I had a little accident myself and ended up in the river for an unplanned swim. Rachel, by the way, did you tell the man about us having to change the time of our meeting?"

"Yes, I did. He wasn't too happy about it I might add as well. But that doesn't matter. Are the people who were injured in the buggy accident alright?"

"There was nothing we could do for one of them, he passed on the way back, but the girl and wife should be fine. Our doctor is looking after them now. And I might add, that you jinxed me this morning too, Rachel." Abigail wiped her face with another towel.

"And how might I have done that?" Rachel asked cheekily.

"Bill Avery, the sheriff had to pull me out of the river! I'm not going to live that down for a very long time." Abigail laughed. "At least he got as dirty as I am. The mud down there is very slippy."

"You're sure he didn't push you in so he could be the great hero and win your heart?" Emily joined in on the teasing.

"Very funny, you two. I can see that I'm not going to get any sympathy from you. I need to go get out of these clothes before I catch cold." Abigail said as she walked into the kitchen to go upstairs.

"If you did, then your knight in shining armour could come take care of you." Emily giggled as she watched Abigail leave.

* * *

When Abigail and Josie had come back downstairs, Emily and Rachel had prepared some tea and biscuits for them. "Mmm, that smells good." Josie said as she tried to steal a warm piece of shortbread from the tray.

"Oh no you don't." Emily teased. "You can wait for a moment until we're all seated."

Abigail quickly winked at Josie. "Who's that over there?" She asked, pretending to look out the window and while Emily was distracted, they both stole a piece each.

"Oh, you two." Emily pretended to be angry. "Come on then." She said as she picked up the tray and put it down on the table in the living room.

"Its really good Emily." Josie said as she sat down and took a bite. "The best shortbread ever."

Abigail pretended to be offended. "What wrong with mine?"

"Nothing, it just comes second to Emily's." Josie poured herself a cup of tea, then filled up the others cups too.

"So, how have you and Emily been getting along?" Abigail asked Rachel as she sipped her tea. "If I didn't know better, I'd say the two of you were best friends." She looked a little perplexed as both Emily and Rachel started to laugh. "What, did I say something funny?"

"We are friends." Rachel started to explain. "When dad moved us to Australia after your sister, my mum died, Emily was at the school I attended in Adelaide. We quickly became best friends, but when we grew up, we lost contact."

"Well how about that. Finding each other here. Indeed it's a small world." Abigail put her cup down. "And where is that beautiful baby of yours?"

"He's having his nap. I hope you didn't mind that I used your blanket. The one I brought got quite dusty."

"Its quite alright. Now, the question is where are you going to stay?"

"Its all settled." Emily interrupted. "Rachel can come stay with me, we have plenty of room."

"Well, that's great then. It'll be good for you two to catch up. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go have a chat to the sheriff." Abigail said as she got up.

"Ooooh," Josie began to tease. "To thank him for saving you?"

"No," Abigail ruffled Josie's hair. "To talk to him about the bridge. I need to make sure that it wasn't any of our fault that accident, or if it is, it will cost the town a lot of money of they decide to sue. I'll be back in time for dinner, Josie, can you help Cody with his homework?"

"Sure, mum." Josie said as she yawned. "After I have a nap."

* * *

"I hope you weren't expecting a palace." Emily said as she opened the door to her house.

"Oh, no, a castle would have been fine." Rachel replied as she put David back down in his crib.

Josh ran in. "Hi mum, guess what Annie did today?"

"And where are your manners young man?" Emily asked as she noticed that he had closed the door on his sister. "Go and let her in please."

"Sorry, Annie." He apologized as he opened the door.

"That's fine." She replied as she took off her coat. "I was walking slow anyway."

"Now, kids, there's someone I'd like you to meet. This is my best friend Rachel and her son, David." Emily said as she gave the kids a cookie each.

"Hello." Josie replied as he grabbed another cookie.

Annie saw him grab it, and she grabbed another, then quickly ran out of the room.

"Rachel is going to be staying with us for a little while Josh, so I want you to be on your best behaviour." Emily said as she stopped his dog, Patch, from running into the living room.

"How long are you going to be staying here for?" Josh asked as he clicked his fingers for Patch to come.

"Uh." Rachel wasn't sure what to answer. "A few days. I don't know a week." She looked at Emily for permission.

"You can stay as long as you want." Emily replied. "You can go out and play with Patch for a little while before dinner if you like.

"Sure mum, come on Patch." Josh said as he ran out the door.

* * *

"What can I do for you?" Mike Granger asked as he saw Matt and Rob ride up and dismount their horses.

"Got some fresh meat for you." Rob said, motioning to the leg of lamb he was holding.

"We don't need no charity." He replied, rather gruffly as he continued to chop the pile of wood beside his cabin.

"You remember that grass fire about a month ago? This is for helping out when we needed a hand." Matt replied.

Mike looked at his wife and daughter who were standing behind him. "Yeh, fair enough."

"Meat safe?" Rob asked Mike's wife.

"Yes, thanks Rob." She motioned for him to follow.

"It will make a pleasant change from fish and rice." He put his ax down. "I suppose you know I'm going under."

"Yeh, well, a couple of bad years has made it hard for everyone."

"Banks make it a lot flaming harder."

Matt nodded.

"I'll be lucky to walk off this place with the shirt on my back."

"I could have a talk with Jenkins at the bank."

"Nobody's asking you to do that."

"I know that, but I'm offering to do it anyway."

"Thanks Matt. I'm not sure what good it will do though."

* * *

"Rachel McCallister." Emily said as she stirred the pot on the stove.

Rachel giggled.

"I cant believe it, after all these years, you suddenly show up and give me the surprise of my life."

"I meant to write back in Australia, but you know me." Rachel said as she sat down.

Emily noticed Josh come back in, looking at the cake on the table. "Alright, you can have one piece and go play with Cody if you like." She saw him grab two. "Now, is that other one for Cody?"

Josh giggled. "Nope. Patch."

"Very funny, go on, you can have it this time." Emily said as she sat down beside Rachel.

"So, tell me, I want to know all the gossip."

"Well, we're up here for about three months, and my husband, Thomas is assisting his boss on some construction work."

"And where are you hiding this husband of yours?"

"He's looked up in his boring business meetings day and night. I couldn't stand the awful little boarding house a moment longer."

"But there's some nice places to stay in Vancouver."

"Thomas's boss has a very mean view on expenses. I needed a break, so I decided to come here to see Abigail, and found you as a bonus." She giggled.

"Your husband doesn't mind you coming all this way?"

"Oh, he likes me being independent. But what about you? Are you sure you don't mind me staying?"

"No, no not at all." Emily reassured.

"What about your husband?"

Emily giggled. "Mmm, Colin's wonderful. He wont mind at all. He's out doing his pastoral rounds at the moment, and I know he'll want you to stay just as much as I do."

"Emily," Rachel laughed as the realization of what Emily had just said sunk in. "You married a preacher?"

"I did."

"How could that be? You were always so,"

"What?"

"Naughty." Rachel said with a smile and they both started to giggle again.

* * *

Away in Vancouver, at a little stream running through a park, McCallister was fishing. A man rode up, saw the buggy and stopped, then dismounted and walked over to him."

McCallister gave a passing glance behind him as he reeled in his fishing line. "You'ld be Mr. Linsk."

"Yes, sir." The man replied.

"Thankyou for coming out. Not often I get time for this."

"Well, you've got a nice day for it sir."

McCallister cast his line back out into the water. "With a flick of my wrist, I can take the wing off a dragon fly at forty paces." He turned to the man behind him. "Something my daddy taught me."

"Interesting lesson sir."

McCallister handed his rod to one of his servants. "I think its important for a man to pass on what he knows to his son. What do you reckon, Mr Linsk?"

"My father taught me a thing or two sir."

"You've a reputation for finding things, they say you're the best." McCallister reached into his pocket and pulled out a photo. "My wife." He handed it to Mr. Linsk. "Her name's Rachel. We've had some problems which I deeply regret. She's left me and has taken my son with her."

"Any idea where she might have gone, sir?" He asked as he put the photo into the pocket on the inside of his jacket.

"She once mentioned an Aunt, who lives in a place called "Hope Valley" You've heard of it?"

"Ranching and logging country."

"It's the best lead I have. I'll need you to be quick about this, I'm worried about my boy. Rachel hasn't been coping to well as his mother."

* * *

"Bill! Wait up!" Abigail called as she saw him about to ride out of town to go take another look at the accident site.

"Woah, easy boy." Bill pulled his horse to a stop. "Yes, Abigail?"

"I need to talk to you, about the accident. If you'll wait for a couple of minutes, I can go get my horse and come with you."

Bill sighed. "Alright, I'll wait here. Don't take to long." He called after her. He patted his horse and went back over his theory of what had happened while he waited.

It wasn't long before Abigail can back, this time riding her paint stallion Josie had given her, Eagle. "Right, I'm ready." She said as she rode her horse up next to Bills.

Bill nudged his horse forward and they began to ride down the road to the accident site. "Glad to see you've cleaned up. That was quite a fall." He chuckled. "Better not do that to many times or you'll get people talking."

"Very funny." Abigail chuffed. "Emily, Josie and my niece Rachel have already started that. Now, lets get to business. What do you think happened?"

"I'm thinking that maybe next time you should have been more careful." Bill chuckled. "I might not always be around to rescue you. Woah, easy boy." He pulled on the reins as Jerry stopped and began to rear. "Woah."

Abigail quickly stopped her horse, who had started to shy and fidget as well. "Easy, easy, woah Eagle." She looked around for something that might have startled them. "See anything?"

"No." Bill replied as Jerry reared again and whinnied. "Steady boy, steady. Something must have set them off, but what?"

"I don't know." Abigail replied as she stroked the side of Eagles neck. "I'm beginning to think that maybe the horses got spooked and that's what caused the accident."

"I'm thinking that too. We're not to far away from the bridge, so I think its best for us to dismount and lead them the rest of the way." Bill said as he quickly got off. "Woah, easy." He handed the reins to Abigail. "You stay here, I'll go have a look."

"Be careful Bill." She cautioned as he went around a corner. Abigail counted every minute until he came back, especially as Jerry was still quite nervous. "Find anything?"

"Yes." Bill replied as he grabbed the reins of his horse. "There was a rock slide, and evidence of an earlier on as well. It must have been what spooked the horses, now and earlier."

* * *

Emily unclasped the lock on the suitcase that was on her bed and opened it. "There we are."

"Oh, Emily, this is great!" Rachel said as she picked up a baby boy's sweater. "Mmm, perhaps a might small."

"Ahh, this." Emily said, pulling out jumpsuit.

"Oh, its perfect." Rachel said as Emily passed it to her. "Your sure you don't mind?"

"Oh, why should I? Besides Davie has to have something to wear."

"I can't believe he went through so many things on the way up here. I'll wire my husband and have him send some more things up."

"Save your money. I'm just glad to see them be of some use."

"Gracious," Rachel said as she sat on the bed and looked at the other things for a baby boy that was in the suitcase. "You must have kept everything of Josh's from the day he was born."

"There not Josh's. His parents died in a fire and we've looked after him ever since."

"But these?" Rachel motioned to the clothes.

"Annie had a twin brother. He died on the way over here and I couldn't bring myself to get rid of them."

"But your still young."

"I had lots of problems falling pregnant, and I nearly lost both Annie and James twice before they were born." She shook her head. "The doctor said no"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Emily. You sure you don't mind?" She questioned about the clothes.

"Of course not. The family's still careful about what they say, but I've gotten used to the idea now. It doesn't worry me."

"What about your husband? I suppose he wanted his own son, men seem to think that so important."

"Colin's not like that, not in that way."

"Thomas is, he has a very set view about children."

"Its not something we really talk about."

"Sometimes they say you don't need words." Rachel giggled.

"Are you like that with your husband?"

Rachel ignored the question. "I'm so glad your happy. Colin must be a great man they way you keep talking about him. You deserved a good man and you've found him"


	5. Back Story 2

**Back Story 2**

Abigail was on her way to work the next day when Montana rode up to her.

"Howdy." Montana said as she pulled her horse to a walk as she came up beside her. "I heard about what happened yesterday."

"Oh, what parts?" Abigail asked, making sure she had a couple of important papers still in her case.

"The getting rescued by a knight in shining armour part." She teased. "No, that accident that happened. Has Bill found out what caused it?"

"Yes. The horses were spooked by a rock slide, then they bolted. It was just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Bill's got a couple of men out there now, working on repairing it. Luckily the foundations weren't damaged otherwise we would have to have pulled it down and start again."

"How are the people who were in it?"

"Carson's had them taken to Cape Fullerton hospital, so they can get the proper treatment, but they're very lucky that Josie got them out of the river when she did, otherwise they would have drowned."

"Speaking of Josie, have you seen her today? We were supposed to go up and check the boundary fence up on North Ridge."

"Not since this morning." Abigail asked concerned. "She might have gone out to Langara, I think she needed to talk to Matt about a couple of things."

"I'll try out there then, thanks Abigail." Montana replied as she moved the horse into a canter down the road.

* * *

Josh was playing with his toys when David began to cry. "Um, Ma?"

"Oh, dear," Emily picked David up. "Come on, Sh, sh," She said as she tried to calm the baby."

"Do you think I should give Davie the duck I made last week at school?" Josh asked, hoping it might make the baby happy.

"That's, a good idea," Emily encouraged. "anything's worth a try."

Josh ran into the room that Emily was staying in, which was his room normally and began to look for the toy. First, he looked in the box at the end of the bed, then under it, then in the dresser draws next to it. As he looked through the draw, he found a box he'd never seen before, so he pulled it out and opened it up.

"Josh, don't worry." Emily stopped as she saw him looking through a strange box. "What have you got there?" She asked as she walked over to him.

Josh moved the box so that Emily could see it, and inside was all sorts of expensive jewellery... Emily started to realize why Emily had been so quiet about her husband…..

* * *

"Had a hard day at work?" Rachel asked Abigail as she saw her down the street later that afternoon.

"Oh, nothing but the usual complaints and things that the people grovel about around here." Abigail sighed. "I really wish that people would realize that being Mayor is more important that listening to complaints about the horse droppings around town."

Rachel began to laugh. "And let me guess who made that complaint. That blonde hair woman who wears red all the time. What's her name?" Rachel paused for a moment to remember. "Oh, that's it, Rosemary"

"Yes, how did you know?"

"She came into the café earlier and was telling me about her stepping in it and guess what I told her?"

Abigail couldn't wait the hear this. "What?"

"I told her that instead of being worried about horse droppings, maybe she should be more worried about her eyesight."

"Next she'll want an optometrist to set up shop in town." Abigail laughed. "I do like what you told her though."

"Josie came by about lunch time and asked me to let you know she might be late for dinner." Rachel said as they walked down the street.

"Did she say why?"

"She said something about going riding with Rob and a Montana, and that she wants you to keep her dinner warm."

"Oh, yes. Josie's been trying to get the two of them together for quite a while now, she's quite the matchmaker." Abigail giggled. "Rob and Montana even went camping with Josie just to make her happy. I'm glad that Josie does have somewhat of a family."

"I thought Josie was your daughter." Rachel looked perplexed. "What happened?"

"Josie was adopted by a couple, the Blackwell's. Luke was killed in a mining accident that happened a few years back, and Georgia had passed on previously. Josie also had a brother, Ben, who drowned in the river beforehand. Josie lived by herself for a few months, then she got injured and so I began to take care of her. She was really quite shy and scared, and I think she got beaten a few times by her adopted father, but now she's really come out of her shell."

"So how does Montana fit into all this?"

"Montana is Josie's sister by blood. Josie was kidnapped as a baby, then given to the couple who adopted her. Montana and Josie figured out they were related by an old diary her father kept, and it had it written in it about what happened. She still misses her brother a lot, but its good that she has the McGregor's, Bill Frank, myself and Cody. We're her family now and I think Josie knows that we all love her."

As they walked to the café, they failed to notice Mr. Linsk hiding in the shadows, listening to their conversation. "It's odd isn't it, when someone who's been in your life for so long suddenly isn't there anymore." Rachel said. "I lost my mother when I was ten, so I know how she feels." She said as they passed the man hiding in the shadows….

* * *

Emily checked on David when she came out of the room and was relieved to find that he'd finally fallen asleep. She heard footsteps coming up the stairs and she sat down in the chair beside the baby.

Rachel opened the door and came in. "Oh, Emily," She noticed Emily's face. "What? Have I been gone too long?"

"No." Emily didn't know how to tell what she'd seen.

Rachel caught onto her friend's quietness. "What's the matter?"

Emily stood up and walked over to Rachel. "Josh was looking for a toy for David and he found your jewellery box."

Rachel nodded, realising why Emily was so concerned. "I suppose your wondering why I'd have such things?"

"I know you Rachel, your in trouble and you're not telling me the truth."

"Oh, Emily." Rachel began. "I've made such an awful mess of my life." She looked out the window, her guard beginning to drop.

"No more stories." Emily encouraged her on.

"I've run away from my husband."

"But, but why?" Emily didn't get it. "How could you do such a thing like that?"

"Oh, Emily, you've no idea what its like to live with a man you don't love."

"But your marriage vows, Rachel."

"My husband's more married to power and brutality than he is to me."

"What do you mean "brutality?"

"Its his way." She sighed. "His way of controlling people."

"How could you, you of all people, marry a man like that?"

Rachel began to pace the room, trying to avoid the question.

Emily followed her. "Rachel, I need to understand this."

"Daddy made some bad investments and he was about to lose everything. Thomas McCallister offered to pay all his debts in exchange for my hand in marriage."

"Your father sold you?"

"No, no he refused, but I was so worried about the family that I went to Thomas and I accepted his offer. I was very naive."

"And then, after you married?"

"He paid off all Daddy's debts, the family was saved. So, I have that to be thankful for at least, and David of course." She looked down at her son.

"Did you ever love him?"

"I tried, and I thought that perhaps, but then, when David was born, everything changed, he became so cruel, I had no choice, I had to get away from him. I need a friend Emily, not a judge."

Emily nodded, and they embraced.

* * *

"I appreciate your interest in Mike Granger, Matt, but my hands are tied." Herbert Jenkins apologized.

"He's a good man, Jenkins. Now I'm prepared to help him re-stock his property."

"Well, that's very generous of you Matt, but unfortunately there's not enough time left for him to fatten beef before the closer date."

"He told me his family has been on that place for years."

"Mike Granger needs to understand that this bank cannot operate successfully unless people honour their debts."

"Look, I'm worried about him, Jenkins. I'm worried that something like this could drive him into doing something you'll both regret."

Herbert got Matt's gist and sighed heavily.

* * *

McCallister was writing a letter out in his office in Vancouver late at night when his secretary came over to him.

"This just arrived from Hope Valley." She said as she handed him the telegraph.

McCallister opened it and read. "He's found her." The lady turned to leave, but he grabbed her hand. "Stay."

* * *

"Hey, Rob, have you seen Josie?" Montana asked as she pulled her horse to a stop and dismounted.

"Yeh, she went out looking for you earlier." He replied as he twisted the wire on the fence he was trying to tighten. "I think she went into town."

"I've just been there." Montana sighed. "Playing "Find Josie" is getting a little old today."

Rob heard hoofbeats and turned to see who it was. "Looks like she's found you." He said as he saw Josie and Thowra in a full gallop coming up the road.

"Looks like she's in a hurry to." Montana added as she mounted her horse. "I wonder what she's had trouble with now. Josie!"

Josie saw Montana and Rob, but she didn't slow the pace. "Is Matt home?"

"Yes, he's in the house. What's wrong?"

"Important news, come up and you'll find out!" Josie yelled as she galloped past.

"Here, get up behind me." Montana said as she gave Rob her hand, then she turned her horse around and followed Josie to the house.

Matt was on the porch and he saw Josie, then Rob and Montana following. "What's going on?" He asked as he came down the stairs to meet them.

Josie slid Thowra to a stop. "Good news. Well, two lots of good news."

"Out with it then."

"I'll wait until Rob and Montana get here." Josie said, quite cheekily. "Hurry up you two."

"Yes, yes, yes." Rob said as he dismounted so Montana could get off. "What's so important that you pull me away from my important fence mending."

Josie smirked and pulled out two telegrams. "I have two telegrams." She began.

"Oh, come on, Josie, don't keep us in suspense!" Montana teased.

"Alright. The first one is news that Matt has been officially voted as Member of Parliament for this district." She waited until they had stopped clapping at a rather embarrassed Matt. "And the second telegram is about the race in Vancouver in five months' time. They've accepted my request to let Thowra run! So, we're in the running's for a thousand dollars!"

"Really?" Montana squealed with excitement. "You're going to the Breeder's Cup?"

"Yes, and that's we Montana, WE! All of us are going, no if, stands or buts. We're not going to miss Thowra running in the biggest event of the year, are we?"

"You mean, watch you win on him?" Rob teased back.

"Well, I don't see you exactly lining up to ride him now, do I?" Josie smirked, knowing it was a common fact that Thowra and Rob didn't get along. "Well, I'm going to tell Colin now, he should be back by now." Josie said as she remounted her horse.

"What about checking North Ridge?" Montana shouted at Josie as she took off.

"We'll do it tomorrow. Meet me at Abigail's at eight." Josie yelled back over her shoulder.

Matt chucked. "She sure has got excited about that."

"Oh, yes, she does. Honourable Mr. McGregor." Rob teased, happy to be able to duck the playful punch his father made in his direction just in time.

"I'll leave you two to it." Montana said as she reined her horse around and rode off. "I'll be able to read all about it in the newspaper tomorrow if Kathleen has anything to do with it."

* * *

"Are you sure you don't mind if Rachel stays? Emily asked as she poured Colin a cup of coffee after his long ride back in.

"Of course, I don't. But a wife should be with her husband. I'd like to hope that any differences they have could be solved."

"I don't think that's possible."

"Has she given any indication as to what the problem is?"

"No, but I know there's something else she isn't telling me." Emily stopped talking as Rachel entered the room with David.

Colin got up and walked over to her. "Hello." He smiled as he saw the baby. "This must be little David."

"Do you want to hold him?" Rachel asked as David began to coo.

"Yes." Colin said as Rachel handed him the baby.

"This is Colin." Rachel began to talk to David. "He's a very good man.

Emily walked over and peered over Colin's shoulder at the baby. "So handsome don't you think?"

"He is." Then Colin realized the baby had decided to choose that moment to need to get his nappy changed. "He's a very interesting way of expressing himself."

Rachel giggled as it dawned on her what he'd done. "Sorry, I'll go change him. She said as she took him back and walked to her room to give him a much-needed diaper change.

"What do you think?"

"Well we should give it a rest for a few days, see how it goes."

"It might get a bit cramped, if worse comes to worst, we can spend more time in our bedroom." She smiled cheekily at her husband.

"Emily McGregor." Colin replied, quite surprised at his wife's little comment as he caught onto what she was meaning.


	6. Back Story 3

**Back Story 3**

* * *

At the end of a very long day at the bank, Herbert Jenkins gave a contented sigh of relief as he locked the door to the bank. He heard footsteps coming up behind him, and in turning, saw that it was Mike Granger.

"Mr. Jenkins. I came to see you."

"Mr. Granger." He was interrupted from continuing by Mike.

"Look, I got kids, Mr. Jenkins. I've got a wife. How am I expected to feed them if you take my land?"

"If there was anything I could do, I'd do it. Now if you'll excuse me." Herbert tried to walk away, but he was stopped by Mike again.

"You're not going anywhere. We need to talk."

"We've already talked." Herbert could see this was going to go bad very quickly and tried again to explain himself. "If you can't meet your payments, I have no choice, I have to foreclose."

Mike grabbed Herbert and threw him against the door of the bank. "How dare you do that, throw a man off his own land?" He was indifferent to the fact that now he had a gathering crowd of towns people watching their argument, among them was a certain Mr. Linsk. "Do you think I asked for bad times, huh? Do you think that I wanted my family to be left homeless?"

"Granger." Herbert was getting quite scared at this point and his eyes began searching for Bill to come and give him a hand, but he couldn't see him in the town. "It's nothing personal, it's just business."

"Business? What kind of business takes the food from my kids?" Mike again pushed the banker against the door.

Bill and Matt walked out of the Sheriff's office and saw what was happening. Glancing at each other, they quickly ran over to the bank and Bill dragged Granger away from Jenkins. "That's enough!"

Mike turned on Bill and tried to take a swing at him, but Matt grabbed him before he had a chance. "Stay out of this Avery and McGregor. Its got nothing to do with you!"

"It does if its going to cause trouble. Go for a walk and calm down. You're not going to do yourself any good here, or your family any good if I have to put you in jail for assault." Bill reprimanded. "I understand your upset, but this is not going to help you at all."

Mike had one last parting comment for Jenkins as he walked off. "We're not done yet."

Bill turned to Jenkins. "Now if I'd were you, I'd stay out of sight. I'd hate to see anyone get killed over this and I don't want to have to deal with Mike for assault." He looked at Herbert sternly before continuing. "or worse."

"Yes, Bill." Herbert nodded, realizing just how serious this was getting. "Thanks, I will."

"Alright." Bill said as Herbert walked away, then he went over to Matt. "Thank you for stopping him from taking a swing at me. If he did, I'd have to have arrested him."

"Its fine, Bill." Matt gave him a pat on the shoulder. "But I don't think its over yet between those two." He said as he watched the both of them walk in opposite directions.

"I agree. Thanks again, Matt." Bill said as he walked back into the sheriff's office.

* * *

"Out on the street there, what was that about?" Linsk asked Mr Yost at the general store a little while later.

"Ah, the banks about to take over Mike Granger's property. He's not to happy about it. It goes up for auction next month."

"Who were the two fellows who broke it up?"

"Matt McGregor and Bill Avery. Their real gentlemen. Matt's just been voted in as the politician of this area and Bill's the sheriff while the Constable is away." Mr Yost said as he put some packages onto the shelf.

"Is Matt any relation to the Reverend?"

"Father and son, their a fine family. Close personal friends of mine."

"Thanks." Mr Linsk replied as he walked back out the door.

"Pleasure." Mr Yost said, a little confused at the interrogation, but he quickly brushed it off and continued with his work.

* * *

The moon was full, but the night was cloudy as McCallister rode in his carriage on his way to Hope Valley. Mr. Linsk had done his work well in finding Rachel, and he smiled to himself as he lit his cigar as he thought of her reaction when she found out he'd found her…

* * *

Bill walked into Abigail's café later that night. "Need a hand?"

"No, I'm just about finished." Abigail replied as she washed the dishes in the sink. "I heard about the fight today between Mike and Herbert."

"Yeh." Bill sighed as he sat down. "I'm not looking forward to having to evict him from his land. But, since I'm the sheriff, I don't have much choice."

"Is there anything I can do about it?"

"Nope, unless you pay off his debt. There's not anything else we can do about it for the legal side of things. Everything has been done within the law, and he can't pay off his debts."

"Its not right." Abigail said as she went and sat down at the table with Bill.

"No, it's not." Bill agreed. "But that's the chance a man takes when he gets a loan. Having the drought this year has been hard on most people, especially the small farmers."

"Yes, Josie was only talking about that last night. Even she's had a little bit of trouble with her crops. She's turned most of it into hay instead of selling it because the grain production was so low."

"Where is Josie?"

"Oh, she's upstairs, doing some repairs on a couple of saddles in the attic. I think Cody's giving her a hand too. Why?"

"Oh, no reason. So, how's your visit with your niece coming along?"

"Its been great to catch up with her. I'm planning on taking a day off in a couple of days to spend some more time with her. I think there is something she's not telling me though. I just can't figure out what.

"Well, if I know you right, you'll find a way to get it out of her. You have a way of making people talk." Bill teased, then ducked as Abigail threw her towel at him. "I think I'll call it a night with that comment." He said as he rose to leave.

"Mmmm I'd agree with that, or next time it mightn't be just a towel." Abigail chuckled as he left. " _Grr, that man knows how to get on my nerves sometimes."_

* * *

Rachel breathed in the country air as she enjoyed a nice, little afternoon walk by herself. The birds were singing, and a couple of horses were in the fields playing. As she walked up near where Josie's ranch intown started, she saw a nice, little pony grazing near the fence and went over to him. "Hey, how are you?" She asked as she gave him a pat, then she noticed Colin standing not too far away. "Afternoon."

Colin turned around and saw Rachel walking over to him. "Afternoon."

"David's still asleep." She explained. "So, I thought I'd go for a walk." She noticed Colin fixing a fence post. "Can I help with anything?"

"Ah, I've finished it. Josie just needed a hand to replace it. She didn't have time to do it, so I offered. Do you mind if we sit down?" He motioned to the sawhorses sitting nearby.

"Oh, dear." Rachel said as she realized what the talk was going to be about. "We're going to have that little talk aren't we. The one where you encourage me to return to my husband?"

"Well." Colin was quite surprised she had figured it out. "Something like that."

Rachel sat down before she spoke again. "I suppose it must be embarrassing for a man of the cloth having a woman whose run away from her husband staying in his house."

"Let's not worry about that."

Rachel sighed. "I know people think that I should be grateful for my husbands "attention" shall we say?" She saw the look on Colin's face. "Colin, I did think very carefully about what I was doing when I planned running away."

"I'd like to help you if I could. Is there any hope of a reconciliation of you both? Its just that walking away from your marriage vows is a serious matter."

"Yes." Rachel agreed, seeming to be quite deep in thought. "More serous than you could possibly imagine."

"Have you spoke to Abigail about this?"

"No. I wasn't planning on it. I know she is quite busy at the moment, what with being the mayor, running the café and looking after Josie and Cody, I don't want to bother her with my problems."

"She is your Aunt. I know that she's concerned about you. She was talking to me the other day about you, and she can tell something is wrong. She wants you to tell her what it is. Talk to her Rachel. You never know, maybe talking to her about it can help you figure out what else you should do."

* * *

As McCallister's coach rolled in to Hope Valley, he looked around the town, judging it on is appearance to be way below his social class. His driver pulled to a stop in front of a boarding house, where Mr. Linsk was waiting to greet him.

"Hello, Mr. McCallister."

"Mr. Linsk, good to see you again." McCallister said as he got out of the coach. Looking around, he could see that the place was defiantly WAY below him. "What is this place, the end of the world?"

"More like on top of it sir. It's the high country."

"Alright." McCallister got down to business. "What do you have to report?"

"Your wife's staying with the local lay Reverend. Colin McGregor and his wife Emily."

"My son, he's in good health?"

"From what I can tell he's fine sir."

"I've missed him." McCallister said without any emotion.

"I must warn you, sir. Your wife's made quite a lot of influential friends here. There's the town Mayor, Abigail Stanton, who is also her Aunt. The sheriff, Bill Avery. Matt McGregor, now a member of Parliament. Josie Blackwell, Abigail's adopted daughter who owns the largest estate around here. Jay McGregor, the Gunsmith to just name a few."

"And I've dinned with three Presidents of the United States. I doubt a man with more horses and cows in his constituent than people is liable to make a fuss, and a woman mayor, absurd! What is this world coming to when they let women take charge?"

"Course, sir." Mr. Linsk replied, a little deflated.

"I love my family." McCallister assured. "There'll be no trouble, I assure you. I'm only here to clear up a few things so that we can all be together again."


	7. Back Story 4

**Back Story 4**

Rachel and Abigail were doing the clothes washing together that afternoon, oblivious to the fact that Rachel's husband had just arrived in town.

"This is fun!" Rachel exclaimed as she scrubbed a dress against the washing board.

"Fun?" Abigail asked as she wrung out another item of clothing. "You want to work in a laundry?"

Rachel began to laugh, then a cheeky idea came into her mind, and she splashed Abigail with the washing water.

"Oh, Rachel!" Abigail shrieked, then she got a handful and flung water back at her.

"Your on!" Rachel exclaimed as she picked up a sopping wet shirt to fling water at her aunt.

Abigail quickly realized that she would be beaten in this little game if she didn't do something, then she saw the basin she used to rinse the clothes and picked it up, splashing water at Rachel as they both laughed and chased each other around the garden.

Then, as Rachel turned her back, Abigail flung the entire basin of water on her, completely soaking her with it. Then, as she saw blood start to seep through the back of Rachels blouse, she stopped laughing.

"What?" Rachel asked, still laughing.

Abigail didn't reply, instead she dropped the empty basin on the ground and walked over to Rachel. She tried to turn her, so she could look, but Rachel moved away.

"Don't."

"Rachel?" Abigail said sympathetically. "let me look."

Rachel sighed and turned around, pulling her hair over her shoulder so Abigail could look, starting to cry as she felt Abigail's hands on her back.

Abigail gasped at the amount of blood that had come through the wet shirt, and as she unbuttoned and pulled the blouse apart, her mouth fell open at what she saw. "Oh, Rachel."

* * *

Abigail was pacing around the café's living room a little while later, with David in her arms, trying to understand why her niece would have been whipped like that. As she sat down on the couch, she heard Rachel coming downstairs. "You alright?"

"No one must know. Promise me. Not Bill, not Josie, not anyone." She sat down beside Abigail, her eyes pleading. "What you saw," she paused. "its just between you and me."

"I can't." Abigail replied as her protective side kicked into action. "I can't just pretend I didn't see anything."

"Promise me." Rachel begged. "You must. Right now."

Abigail bit her lip, deciding what to do. She didn't speak for what seamed like an eternity, but then she raised her head. "I promise."

* * *

"What a dreary little back water." McCallister said as he and Mr. Linsk walked around the town. "Still, we'll be out of here shortly."

"Yeh, well, what if your wife doesn't want to go with you?"

"That's not an option."

Mr. Linsk started to realize what McCallister was putting across. "In little towns like these, people tend to stick together."

"You're a worrier, Mr. Linsk." McCallister said as he patted the man on the shoulder. "It's my experience that loyalty is only a commodity."

* * *

Mr. Jenkins was on his way back to the bank after his lunch break, when Mike Granger stepped out from behind a building. He saw Jenkins walking to the bank, then he started towards him, his gun in plain view.

Bill and Jay were standing on the veranda of the sheriff's office when he saw Granger striding across the road, then he saw Jenkins and quickly realized what was about to take place.

"Granger!"

Jenkins heard Bill, and he turned. When he saw Mike coming towards him, he quickly opened the door, then when he was in the bank, locked it again.

Bill stopped Mike in the middle of the street, with Jay still standing on the veranda, ready to jump in if the need arose. "Mike, you go home."

"Its time Herbert Jenkins and I talked." He said, gazing at the man in the bank.

"Well, not today, and not with that." Bill replied as he noticed the pistol in Mike's belt.

"I want to scare him. You ever been scared, Bill?"

"Yeh, I know how it feels."

"Well, I'm scared every minute of every day. Thinking about Ellie and the kids on the road with nothing. No hopes, no prospects." He glared at Jenkins, who was watching from the windows. "You ever been scared, Jenkins?" He yelled as he went for his gun. "You hear me?"

Bill grabbed the gun and yanked Mikes arm up, the gun firing off into the air. The street became a mayhem of chaos as the horses that were tethered broke free and began to bolt towards the men.

"Look out!" Mr. Yost shouted to McCallister and Mr. Linsk, who were still walking down the road.

Mr. Linsk saw the horses coming and quickly moved out of the way, but McCallister seemed to be stuck to the ground. Then, just as Montana's horse was about to run him over, Mike Granger pushed him out of the way.

As the horses began to gallop out off town, Bill grabbed Eagles reins as he passed, stopping his mad run. Jay saw his chance and did a running vault onto Montana's palomino mare, quickly catching up to the other three horses that were running blindly towards the lively.

"Woah, steady, steady." Jay said as he caught the other horse's reins, "Easy" as he brought them to a stop, sitting the bucks from Montana's horse as he did so.

"Steady boy, steady." Bill said as he stroked Eagle's mane. "Looks like Josie still has a few things to teach you yet mister."

Mike helped McCallister to his feet and brushed himself off, putting his gun away as he did so.

"I owe you my life. I'd like to reward you for your bravery. You might have been killed, saving a complete stranger."

"Just forget it alright." Mike said as he quickly exited the conversation.

"Mr. Linsk walked over to McCallister. "He's the one I was telling you about."

"Payback like that could be useful." He replied as he weighed up his options.

Bill lead Eagle over to Josie, who had seen the entire scene from the safety of the General Store's balcony, but she walked down to meet him as he approached.

"Here you go." Bill said as he handed the stallion's reins to her.

"Thanks, Bill." Josie said as she took them. "I'll go calm him down away from here. Looks like he needs some lessons around gunfire, so he won't do that again in a hurry." She led the nervous horse away to her paddock.

Bill walked over to McCallister and Mr. Linsk. "Well, you okay?"

"Couldn't be better." McCallister replied with a hint of sarcasm.

"That was close, you were lucky." He extended his hand forward for a shake. "I'm Sheriff Bill Avery."

"Thomas McCallister. I take it you must have met my wife."

"Ah yes. She's staying with the Circuit reverend and his wife."

"Then I'll meet them soon enough. I've come to persuade Rachel to return home."

"Ah." Bill said, not showing his suspicions about this man, but deciding to carry on pleasant conversation. "Well, I hope it works out for both of you."

McCallister nodded. "That man who saved me. I'm in his debt."

"Yes, Mike Granger. He's a good man."

"And he's having trouble with the bank?"

"Yes." Bill replied cautiously, wondering about his sudden interest in Mike's affairs. "You might say that."

"I know a thing or two about banks."

* * *

"I beg your pardon?" Jenkins said, not believing what he'd just heard.

"I'm here to pay off Mr. Mike Granger's debts. How much?"

"Well, I can't possibly disclose." Jenkins tried to explain.

"Don't play games with me. How much?"

"Well, I can make no exceptions, bank polices say." He was cut off by a rather annoyed McCallister, who was not used to being told "No."

"Is it your business to make a profit or loss? What's your policy on that?" He saw Jenkins give in. "How much?"

"Three hundred dollars." Herbert finally said, a bit deflated.

"Get me the deed." McCallister said as he wrote out a check.

"I'll need to get the check cleared first."

McCallister motioned for him to lean down, and he showed him his check book. "United Chicago. See there's an engraving of company name of the president on it."

"That's you?" Herbert asked, quite surprised that the President of the biggest bank in the United States was in their town

"That's me. Get me the deed."

"Certainly."

* * *

"My wife and I'd like to thank you for your generosity." Mr. Granger told McCallister a little while later in his room at the boarding house. "You saved our lives."

"Then my debt to you is repaid." McCallister replied as he stood up. "Nothing more to be said."

Ellie walked over to McCallister and gave him a kiss on the check, much to his pleasure. "Bless you sir."

"You've a breve man here, Mrs. Granger. One of the finest."

"Well," Mike looked at his wife as she walked back over to him. "If there's ever anything we can do for you, all you have to do is ask."

McCallister looked at Mr. Linsk, pleased that his little plan had worked. He now had Mr. Granger right where he wanted him, feeling indebted to him. He had the man hook, line and sinker. "Perhaps you could tell me about Mrs. Stanton and the McGreogrs."

* * *

A little while later, Abigail and Rachel were going back outside to put the clothes onto the line. Josie had already told them about the scene on the street, and how Bill had caught Abigail's horse, which left her quite impressed.

"You coming?" Abigail asked Josie as she picked up the basket of clothes to go on the line.

"No, I'll stay here and eat these delicious cookies." Josie said as she picked another up. "They are really good."

"Just make sure that you don't eat all of them, missy. They're for the kids snack at school later." She replied as she closed the door.

Abigail and Rachel had almost put all the clothes on the line. They hadn't spoken to each other much, each of the absorbed in their own thoughts, then Abigail broke the silence.

"Would it almost be David's feeding time, Rachel?"

Rachel was about to reply, then she felt her husband's eyes bearing down on her. She turned and froze as she saw him standing at the gate into Abigail's back yard.

Abigail turned to see why Rachel hadn't replied, then she saw the man staring at Rachel. Rachel looked at Abigail, fear in her eyes. "Yes?"

McCallister ignored Abigail. "You shouldn't have left me, Rachel. I've been worried."

Abigail realized who this was, and she walked over to Rachel's side. "Mr. McCallister?"

He again ignored her. "I still love you Rachel, and I miss David. Is he here?"

"I'm Mayor Stanton." Abigail tried again, hoping that this wasn't real, but it was.

"Yes, I know who you are, madam. If you'll excuse me, this is between my wife and I." McCallister walked closer, towering over the two women.

"I think that Rachel would prefer me to stay. Perhaps." She rolled her eyes as she was cut off again by McCallister.

"I appreciate you looking after her these past few days, its been nice for her to see some family, but the time has come for Rachel and my son to return home."

Finally, Rachel found the courage to stand up to him. "We're staying here."

McCallister lost his pretend concern. "I have all a man can do to provide for his wife and family."

"This is not about the money." Rachel exclaimed, herself getting angry that he'd found her.

"Rachel, I know we've had our differences."

"Differences?"

"I have come to apologize. I swear that all those things that have troubled you in the past will never happen again."

"I've heard those promises before, Thomas. They have painfully short lives.

"Rachel." McCallister said as he grabbed her arm and tried to drag her away.

Rachel pulled out of his grasp. "Once I'd have trebled at your voice, bot not now, not ever again."

McCallister grabbed her roughly and pulled her towards him. "Love can so easily turn to hate."

Abigail gasped, then she turned and ran back into the café, leaving Rachel on her own.

"The choice is your Rachel. I want my son. I want to see David." He pushed her in front of him towards the stairs to the back door of the café.

The door opened again, and Abigail re-appeared, this time, with a rifle in her hand. "Take your hands off her."

"Don't be a fool." McCallister sneered at her.

"Oh, she won't be." Josie said as she came up behind him, her own pistol in hand. "And neither am I." She held her aim steady at McCallister.

"A preacher's girlfriend." McCallister laughed. "And a child." He turned back to Abigail. "You don't have what it takes to kill a man."

"Oh, we'll see about that. But I do have what it takes to pull this trigger." Abigail replied as she levered a bullet into place. "And I can take your shoulder off in one shot. I'll let my daughter take care of the rest."

"The choice is yours." Josie replied, as she took the hammer back on her own gun. "Walk away now, and no one gets hurt."

McCallister realized he was beat, and he let Rachel go. "I'll be back."

Abigail motioned for Rachel to come up beside her, still holding the gun towards McCallister. "It would be better for you if you don't. Josie, take him out."

Josie nodded, then walked over to McCallister. "Alright, let's go."


	8. Back Story 5

**Back Story 5**

* * *

It was later that night that Bill called Matt, Colin, Rob, Jay, Luke and Kathleen to come to town and they had a discussion with Josie and Abigail about what had happened with McCallister in the backyard earlier that afternoon.

"When I pointed the rife at him, I was sure I was going to have to pull the trigger." Abigail explained, a little shaken. "I've never been so frightened of someone in my entire life."

"Thank God it didn't have to come to that." Josie said as she stood up and grabbed another cup of coffee. "It really would have been awful to have you had to of done that, Abigail. He would have got you arrested for attempted murder."

"I don't understand it." Bill said, quite unsure what to make of the situation. "He's paid off Mike Granger's debts. He seemed like a."

Abigail cut him off. "That changes nothing, Bill."

"I'm so sorry, about all this." Rachel spoke up, feeling a mite embarrassed.

"Oh, Rachel, please."

"Abigail, your upset, let Rachel speak for herself." Bill gently reprimanded.

Abigail turned to Rachel. "You must show them."

Rachel gasped. "No."

"They're my friends, Rachel. Trust me please. I didn't understand until I saw. Let them see."

Bill and Matt looked at each other, the boys doing the same, wondering what Abigail was talking about.

"You have to, for David." Abigail encouraged. Rachel finally gave in and turned so that Abigail could unbutton her blouse. Gently Abigail pulled Rachel's hair to the side and unbuttoned it far enough for them to see. Then she moved Rachel around.

Rachel's back had quite a few deep stripes from a whip across her shoulder, and they were badly infected and weeping. She turned back around and faced the startled family. "I wont let him do this to my son."

Matt walked over to her. "I think it might be best for you to come and stay at Langara until this is over. McCallister wont try anything while we're around." He said, looking at his boys. "Emily, you and Colin and the kids can come stay out here too. There's no knowing what he could try to do."

Rachel bit her lip, then turned to Abigail. "Do you think I should?"

Abigail nodded. "Yes. It will be safer for us all."

* * *

Linsk walked onto the porch of the boarding house where Granger and McCallister were waiting for him. "Your wife has gone out to a place called "Langara" Josie Blackwell's place. Matthew McGregor lives there with his family and they take care of it."

"Has she really?" McCallister asked meanly. "Are the men staying there?"

Mr. Linsk nodded. "There's Matt." He pointed. "He's down there with his son, Rob and Josie."

McCallister watched as they rode to the store, Matt pulling the wagon to a stop, and Josie dismounting her horse.

Granger spoke up. "He tried to help me. I don't feel right about causing them trouble, not with the sheriff still in town."

"I've taken care of the sheriff, he's conveniently had to leave town. I'm not looking for trouble, Mike." He turned to him. "But what am I to do? They've taken my boy. How many children have you got?"

"Five." He said after a pause.

"And if they were taken from you, would you roll over and go to sleep?" He watched as Granger shook his head. "Let's hope McGregor feels the same way."

* * *

Josie walked over to Matt and Rob. "Have you guys fixed the fence in the south pasture yet?" She asked as she patted Rob's horse.

"Nope." Matt replied as got down off the wagon. "We're going to work on it tomorrow." He kicked the bags waiting for him. "We came in to get the shipment of oats you ordered."

"That's fine. Thanks Matt. Rob, when your finished, do you want to come looking for strays with Montana and me?" Josie asked as she turned to lead the horse to the water trough.

Rob sighed. "Sorry Josie, I have work back at the ranch, another time perhaps." He said as he got down off the wagon.

"Okay, fine with me. Come on, Comet." She said as she led the stallion away.

"Right, let's get these loaded." Matt said as he passed the first bag to Rob. It didn't take long for them to load the wagon, then Matt quickly paid Mr. Yost the money. As he walked back out, Rob had tied the bags down.

"Are we heading straight back?"

"Yep."

"Mr. McGregor." McCallister said as he walked over to them. I'd appreciate a few moments of your time."

Matt walked down the stairs to him. "Well, its not going to do you much good, McCallister."

"So, you're a successful foreman and horse breeder. A leader. We're men forged on the same anvil. We should understand each other."

Matt wondered where this was going. "Yeh, I'm listening."

"My son stands to inherit an empire. Shipping, newspapers, mining, banks. I'v a duty to teach him the business."

Matt nodded. "Regardless of who gets hurt."

"What would you do? See everything you've fought for lost because of a woman's fairy-tale view of life."

"Rachel is a guest of our home, and our family. She can stay as long as she likes." Matt turned and went to walk to the wagon.

"David's my firstborn. Are we so different?"

"Yeh," Matt nodded. "I'd like to think so. I've never whipped my wife." He said as a parting comment, much to Mr. Lisnk's surprise, who was hiding behind the side of the building.

Matt hopped on the wagon. "Let's go, Rob." He left McCallister glaring after him.

* * *

Josie rode up later in the day to see how the men were going in fixing up the stock yards on Baker's flat. Rob saw her riding up and couldn't resist being cheeky. "Have you come to help?" He asked as he and Colin lifted a log together and took it over the fence they were building.

"Nope." Josie said as she dismounted and led Comet to a section of finished fence and tied him to it. "I've been teaching this one a thing or two. I've brought lunch for you all." She turned to Rob. "But you're not getting any." She teased.

"Haha, very funny." Rob replied as he and Colin lifted the log into position.

"Rachel and Josh are over there." Colin pointed. "He's been bugging her to take him for a walk."

Josie laughed. "I'll go see them in a minute. But first I'm helping myself to the kettle." She said as she walked over to the fire.

"Hope your not too thirsty." Colin teased. "Rob's coffee tastes like tar."

"Nope, I've brought my own." She said as she dumped out the contents. "I'll make myself a decent batch thanks very much."

Colin and Rob walked over to the fire, Colin watching out for Rachel and Josh as he sat down on the log next to Josie.

Rob noticed it as he poured himself a cup of coffee, knowing what Colin was thinking. "She'll be alright."

"I don't think it's over, yet." Colin replied, quietly still concerned about McCallister.

Josh and Rachel were a little away from where the men were working, lying in the grass playing with David.

"There." Rachel said as she finished a flower crown she had been working on. "What do you think?"

Josh took it and placed it on Rachel's head. "You look like a fairy princess."

Rachel laughed. "And if I could grant you three wishes, what would they be, kind sir?"

Josh sat and thought for a little bit. "How about a walk to the pond, like you promised."

Rachel sat up and picked up David. "Alright, come on then."

"Wishes don't really come true, do they?"

"Sometimes." Rachel said as they walked to the pond. "I bet you couldn't have wished for nicer people to take care of you."

"Neither could you."

"Neither could I." Rachel repeated.

As they got to the pond, Josh ran ahead. "Look, Rachel, a frog."

Rachel looked down, then she heard hoofbeats fast approaching. She began to run back to where the men were working.

"Stay. You'll hear me out, woman." McCallister shouted as his horse got closer.

"Tell the men, run." She quickly encouraged Josh, and he took off to get help.

"That will do you no good. Collect your things. I expect you and David to be in town by morning. Understood?" He said, quite bluntly, then looked to make sure Mr. Linsk and Granger were backing him up.

"Understand this Thomas." Rachel shouted back. "I didn't leave you because of your infidelities, or your beatings, I'm leaving you so that I can raise David to bear no resemblance of you."

"I shall be returning to Vancouver tomorrow, with my son. Your place is with us. I shall do my best to forgive you."

Rachel shook her head. "I'm never going back." Then she turned as she heard more horses coming, the three men with Josie at the front at a fast gallop. She gave a satisfied smile as Josie pulled her horse to a stop beside her.

"Do not cross me on this, Rachel. Or I'll destroy you and your protectors." McCallister threatened as he and his men turned around and galloped back into the scrub.

"You alright?" Josie asked as she dismounted.

"Yes. I'll be fine." Rachel replied, still shaking slightly.

* * *

"Well, when your husband leaves tomorrow, that will be the end of it." Matt said as they sat down to eat dinner with the family that night.

"Yes, I'm sure it will."

"Do you have any plans, Rachel?" Kathleen asked.

"I'm not sure what I'll do."

"Well, there's no rush, you've got all the time in the world." Emily handed her the plate of potatoes.

"I feel better already." Rachel smiled as she handed the plate onto Josie.

"Listen, ah." Rob began. "Montana's brought a new Andalusian stallion, she's invited us all over to take a look. She reckons it's pretty special."

"Oh, I'm busy at the printery. Maybe another time." Kathleen apologized.

"Well, I'll come." Danni said excitedly.

"Danni, we promised Josh we'd bake some cakes with him, remember?" Emily reminded.

"Oh, scratch Danni then."

"Well, I wouldn't mind having a look at him, what about you, Colin, Josie?"

"Yeh, well we can't let Rob go on his own, now can we?" Colin smiled at Josie. "You coming?"

Josie nodded. "Sure."

* * *

As Matt, Rob, Colin and Josie rode on the path to Montana's the next morning, they failed to see McCallister and his men hiding in the trees as they rode past. Mr. Linsk motioned for them to turn and they rode towards the house.

Rachel gave David a kiss as she placed him in his crib on the porch, "Watch him, Lassie." She instructed the collie, who promptly took her place beside the crib, then she went back inside the house for a moment.

* * *

"Everything alright?" Emily asked as she saw her walk into the living room.

"Forgot my book." Rachel said as she picked it up.

"Oh, I'm going into town shorty, is there anything I can get you?"

"I'm fine." Rachel replied as she went back out the door. She heard a dog whimpering, but took no notice of it as she walked back to where she'd left David, then, as she looked down into the crib, she saw that David was gone, and Lassie was lying on the floor, with blood dripping from her head.

She looked up and saw her husband and his men galloping away, the baby in his arms. "No!" Rachel flew down the stairs and jumped onto the horse that Danni had left tied up. "Yah." She dug her heels into the mare's side and galloped off after them.

Emily heard the commotion and ran out. She saw the empty crib and Lassie on the ground, wounded, then she realised what had happened. "Danni!"

* * *

The black stallion reared as Montana took off his lead rope. "Midnight, meet the McGregors."

"What a beauty." Josie said as she looked at the horse. "Still no where as good as Thowra." She teased as she gave her favourite stallion a pat.

Montana rolled her eye's. It was no secret that Josie thought her stallion was the best around, because he was. "You like him huh?"

"He lookd great." Rob replied, quite inmpresed. "He's in good condition. He's even got your hair."

The stallion reared again, his curly mane and tail flying in the breeze. "Come on." Montana laughed, "Is that all you can think of that's good about him? Or me?"

Matt chucked, then he heard a horse stop behind him.

"Dad!" Danni shouted as she stopped the horse. "Dad! They've taken the baby. Rachel and Emily have gone after them."

Rob, Colin, and Montana ran for their horses, Josie quickly jumping on Thowra who was next to her, Thowra catching Josie's excitement and he began to dance in place.

"You head back to Langara." Matt said as he got on his own horse.

"But dad." Danni complained.

"You heard me." He replied as they galloped off towards town, taking the forest shortcut.

* * *

Rachel pulled her horse to a stop infront of the boarding house. She looked up at the balcony, her husband standing there holing her son. McCallister gave her an evil grin.

* * *

Emily ran into the café, not bothering to close the door. "Abigail, where's Bill?"

"He had to go out of town? Why?"

"You need to come with me right now"

Abigail stood up. "What's wrong?"

"McCallister."

* * *

Rachel was about to get into the coach when Abigail and Emily ran up. "No, Rachel, you can't." Emily shouted to her from across the street

"Get in." McCallister commanded, his face empty of emotion.

"You don't have to do this." Abigail said as she stopped beside Emily.

Rachel sighed, "I have no choice."

"Rachel, please." Emily pleaded.

"Shut up!" McCallister yelled as he punched Emily in the stomach.

Emily fell to the ground, tears in her eyes from the pain.

Abigail helped Emily get up. "You alright?"

Emily clutched her stomach as Abigail supported her.

"Take her away. She's already caused more trouble than she's worth." McCallister looked up and saw the group of people riding towards them. He realized that since Bill now had back up, he would probably try to arrest him, so he looked around for something to defend himself with, and grabbed a stock whip that was hanging on the saddle of the horse behind him

Colin saw Abigail holding Emily, and he jumped off his horse before it had even stopped. "Emily?" He ran over to her, and she collapsed in his arms.

"Right'oh, McGregor. My wife's returning to me of her own free will. Isn't that right?" He snarled at her.

Rachel said nothing, but stood staring at her husband.

"Tell him!"

"Forget it, McCallister." Matt said as he walked closer. "There's no way I'm going to let you take David and Rachel away from here."

"You'll beg for her to leave." He cracked the whip out and hit Matt across the cheek with the lash.

Josie and Rob got out their guns, Josie cocking her own weapon and pointing it at McCallister. "I don't want to have to do this."

"Wait up, Josie. You don't need to be up for murder. I'll handle it" He started at McCallister. "Don't do this, McCallister." He warned. McCallister flung out the whip again, but this time Matt put his arm out and it wrapped around his wrist, then he yanked it out of McCallister's hand.

Mr. Linsk got out his own gun then, and Rob cocked his weapon and pointed it at him, making him think twice.

"Now, it's over McCallister. So let them go." He motioned to Rachel and David.

McCallister looked around. Now the entire town had gathered to watch the spectacle. "A hundred dollars to the man who takes that whip off McGregor." He looked around, expecting someone to take him up on the offer.

"There's more than one McGregor here." Colin said, for the first time in his life hating someone as much as he did McCallister right now.

"And their friends." Montana said as she cocked her own pistol, to make the point more clear.

"Five hundred." McCallister offered. "Granger, do you want to be a rich man?"

Mike looked at his wife shaking her head, then made up his mind, and that was to do nothing.

"No one here wants your money, McCallister." Matt said as he looked at the towns people. "Rachel."

Rachel smiled, then walked over to Emily, away from her husband.

Matt looked back at McCallister. The man took his gaze away and got into his coach, and he had some parting words for them. "Here this. All of you. On this day you stood between me and my wife son. For that, I shall return, and take this place down stick my stick, until not even it's memory is preserved." His driver whipped the team, and they left the town….

 **A few weeks later...**

* * *

It was about a month later when Montana rode into town to see if the freight wagon had arrived. She saw Rob asleep on a couple of wheat bags and decided to have a little fun. As quietly as she could, she dismounted her horse and snuck up the stairs next to him. She pinched his nose shut and waited.

Rob woke up with a start and Montana jumped back. "Oh."

"Sweet dreams?" She teased.

Rob sighed. "They were until you came along."

"You know, its great to see you working so hard." She helped him stand up.

"I've been up since four this morning, mending fences. With no help from Josie either. She's probably off somewhere still asleep too, leaving me to do all the work. I had to bring a mob of horses in down here for her to train this morning and she asked me to see if her new saddles arrived on the freight wagon. It was supposed to be here two hours ago." He looked down the road for the wagon.

"You know, there could be a tree or something across the road. It blew a howling gale last night." She replied as they passed a small group of people waiting at the depo.

"Are you riding back today?"

"Later, Josie want me to help with one of her colts."

"I'll ride back with you."

"Oh, I'm not sure when I'll be leaving."

"That's alright, I'm not tied to anytime."

"It might be late.

"I can wait."

"Why don't we just, ah see how it goes."

"No point waiting, Miss Hale, no freight wagon today." Mr Yost said as he walked over to them.

"You don't know why?" Rob asked.

"All they said was that it was cancelled. No explanations given." He walked back to the mercantile.

Montana sighed. "I'm supposed to have feed coming for my calves on that wagon."

"The freight wagon has been delayed before."

"Yeh, buts its always arrived." Rob said, then he saw his father. "I'll see you around, Montana."

* * *

"Its not my fault." Katie explained. "Mr. Jenkins. I told you yesterday."

"Well, I can't keep accounts without ledgers." Mr. Jenkins protested, unaware that Emily and Rachel had walked into the store.

"I do not understand why the order has not arrived."

"Would you like me to contact them? Three weeks is a bit much."

"Oh, no." Katie said as she closed the book. "I'll get my father to contact them. He'll find out why they haven't arrived."

"Thank you Katie, I do appreciate your help."

"Your welcome." She replied as he walked out the door.

Emily walked over to her. "Hello, Katie."

"Good morning, Emily, morning Rachel."

"I placed an order for some cloth a few weeks ago, has that come in yet?" Emily asked as she placed the groceries she was buying on the bench.

"Not yet."

"Its fine, I can wait."

"Oh, you are very kind, but it is not fine. You see, we ordered once, twice, three times. No cloth, no ledgers, no hard-ware. Noting is coming when it should."

"I'm sure there's an explanation. They'll send it soon."

"They must. If we have no stock, we have no customers. You don't need a pen and paper to figure that out." Katie replied, a little worried.

* * *

Kathleen was walking out of the store a little while later when Abigail walked past and saw her. "Bad news?" She asked, concerned.

"Oh, more annoying than anything. I've just been told their no news print for at least a month. The paper mills the only supplier in the state. Unless I import, and that could take at least six months."

Rachel and Emily joined the conversation. "Has this happened before?"

Kathleen shook her head. "No."

"Why now do you think?"

"Well, I don't know. Maybe their understocked or theirs been a fire. It doesn't say." Kathleen looked at the telegram again.

Rachel looked at Abigail. "It's Thomas."

"Your husband?" Abigail was unsure of what she meant.

"There could be a dozen explanations." Emily tried to console her friend.

"It's the way he works. I've seen it often enough, I'm sure its him."

"Your being silly, Rachel. Thomas is gone, forget about him."

Behind them, the stage pulled to a stop. "Ladies and Gents, before you all disperse, I've been asked to tell you all that this is the last coach from Cape Fullerton to Hope Valley." The townspeople walked over to the coach. "I'm happy to take anyone back tonight to Cape Fullerton, but after that, you'll have to make your own arrangements."

"You can't be serious, who's going to bring the mail then?" Mr Yost asked, not believing what he'd just heard.

Abigail spoke up. "What about the other towns in the district?"

"I haven't been given any details."

Mr. Yost walked over to Bill as he rode back into town. "Bill, did you know about this? First the freight wagon doesn't arrive and now there's no stagecoach."

"Yes," Katie spoke up. "We have been having delays with services for weeks." The people gathered began to talk among there selves.

"Hold it." Bill asked for silence. "Who said the service is being cut?"

"Well, it's not by my choice. I'm out of a job until the line's reopened. If it does."

"Do you know why?"

"Mystery to me. Like I said, I'm willing to take anyone back tonight, I'll be here at five."

Rachel saw her husband's accountant get out of the stage, and she knew that she and the town were in for more trouble.

* * *

Rob was walking past the boarding house when he saw a man nailing a notice to the doorframe. He looked at the notice. "When did this happen?"

"Oh, the new management's moving in today." The man replied.

"Excuse me." Rob said as he pulled off the notice and walked across the street. "Abigail?"

She turned to him. "Yes, Rob?"

"We've got a problem." He handed the notice to her and she read it. Then she handed it to Kathleen and Bill.

"Is this something I should know about?" Rachel asked as she walked over.

"Oh, its just this stagecoach business." Bill lied.

"May I look?" Rachel asked, and Kathleen handed to paper to her. "My husband's brought the boarding house. I knew he'd come back."

Abigail, Josie and Rachel were walking to the Café when McCallister rode through town, Rachel's smile fading as she saw him. Granger saw him, then Bill and Colin came out of the sheriff's office and watched as his driver pulled up in front of the boarding house.

"Mr. McCallister." His account said as he opened the door for him.

"You might as well stay in there, McCallister." Bill said as he came over and slammed the door shut, Rob and Colin backing him up. "I really didn't appreciate your trick in getting me away from town the last time you where here. There's nothing for you here."

"Your wrong there, Avery." McCallister bent down close to him. "I will get what I cam for. And if you know what's best, you won't stand in my way, or people will get hurt."

"Is that a threat, McCallister?"

"Take it as you like. Let's just say, it's a warning. Its just a matter of time."

* * *

That night, Abigail called a town meeting. "May I get your, attention, please?" The people kept talking, then a sharp whistle pierced the air.

"I think what Mayor Stanton means to say is that she wants silence." Josie butted in. "Go ahead, Mom."

"Now, the situation is this." Abigail began to pace across the front of the room. "The coach, freight wagon line and the paper mill have been brought outright. As well as the warehouses in Cape Fullerton used to supply the stores."

She was cut off by a person from the crowd. "Well I haven't worked all my life to see a person come in here and bleed us dry." A series of agreeing comments rose from those who were gathered there.

"Getting angry about it isn't going to help."

"What are we going to do without a coach service, or freight wagon?" another person shouted out.

"We've lived without a stage coach in the past." Abigail replied.

"Your they mayor, Abigail. Your supposed to be leading to town. What are you going to do about it?"

"I've gotten in touch with the atoritories, and I'm waiting for a reply."

"Where are we supposed to get our supplies while we wait?" Mr Yost asked.

"Well, for a little while, we may have to do without."

"Then how does my shop survive?" He persisted.

"Times might be tough for a while, but we've lived through though times before. Now what we need to do." She was cut off again by George Custer.

"He said he would tear this place down stick by stick."

"Now, don't tell me your frightened of just one man. McCallister has to face us all. Now, if we stand together, he can't win. What we have to do is formulate a plan."

"What have you got in mind, Abigail?" Mike Granger asked.

Rachel walked out of the meeting. The she started to walk to the boarding house to go back to her husband. "Oh, David, I'm so sorry."

Elizabeth ran out after her. "Rachel, where are you going?"

"All that talk in there, it won't do any good." She said as Elizabeth stopped her.

"You don't know that."

"Thomas won't stop until I go back."

"You're never going to stop being afraid if you don't stand up for what you believe in. You run away from him, you run back to him. You're always running." Elizabeth gently rubbed her hand on Rachel's shoulder. "Fight him, fight him for your own self-respect. We're all willing to. In the end, it's up to you."

"He'll never let me go."

Elizabeth looked into Rachel's eyes. "Then you should never give in."

Rachel nodded and they both walked back into the saloon.

Abigail was still talking. "So, we can make do until Tuesday, is that fine with everyone?" A series of agreeing comments rose from the crowd. "Ned, you've got enough stock till then?"

"I think so, Abigail."

"Good. Granger, can we count on you?"

"Corse you can."

* * *

"Did they talk about what they were going to do?" McCallister asked Granger later that night when they were alone in his room at the boarding house, planning his next moves.

"Yes, they did."

"And you took note?"

"I did." He handed the list to McCallister. "They're very angry, very determined."

"I wouldn't have expected otherwise." He opened the note. "What I'd like to know is how clever they are." Then he read it. "Not very. They have nothing else planned?"

"No." Granger rose to leave.

"Thankyou for your help. Your very thorough. I like that, Mr. Granger." He watched Mike leave.

"You're not going to make this a protraction visit, are you? Your business has already suffered." Mr. Rodcaster, the accountant commented after Mike had left.

"I'll be staying as long as it takes."

"Well, as your legal advisor, I suggest a cautious approach."

"Caution is for old women."

"It's what allows them to grow old. You must consider the legalities."

"You consider the legalities. I'll do the rest."


	9. Back Story 6

**Back Story 6**

* * *

It was early the next morning when the plan that the town had decided on was put into action. A huge wagon train had assembled, lent by Josie and Lee for the trip into Blane's Ravine.

Abigail walked out of the mayor's office, Josie and Jay with her. "Now, Hardwicks warehouse had okayed stocks, anything they don't have they'll get in. I've organized credit and some cash." She handed the roll to Jay. "with the bank of Blane's Ravine. All you need to do is present them with the list."

"Hehe," Josie said as she saw the cash. "We could go to town on this." She teased Abigail.

"Yeh, and I'll go to town on you if you two lose it."

"We weren't planning on losing it, were we Jay?"

"Bill told me that Dog Tracks road is too swampy this time of year, he said for you to go Blacks road. You should still be able to cross the creek up at Merry Ford."

"Sounds like a safer bet to me." Josie replied as she mounted her horse, then rode up next to Montana and Rob. "Don't you have something to say to Rob, Sis?"

Montana sighed. "I'm sorry about yesterday. You were right, I have been worried about things."

"What things?" Rob asked as he noticed Josie ride back over to Abigail.

"Let's just get this business sorted out first, then maybe when we've got some time we can talk."

"Montana." Abigail shouted, "Off you go. Be careful."

"No, mum, isn't it drive reckless and take risks? Of course, we'll be careful." Josie teased as she rode back to the front of the wagon train to be with Montana and Rob.

"Watch her, Montana." Abigail motioned to Josie. "Don't you do anything silly, miss.

"Don't worry, Abigail, I will. You're not going to do anything silly are you?" Montana said to Josie as they turned their horses around. "Ready, Lee?"

"Yep." Lee flicked the reins and the horses began to move, then the entire wagon train followed them out of town.

* * *

It was late in the afternoon when they finally arrived in Blane's Ravine, the wagons waiting on the edge of town while Montana, Josie and Jay went to organize the deal.

"Well, it seems like you folks have waisted a trip."

"Oh, come on Hardwick, they have a deal."

"Abigail telegraphed you yesterday." Montana pulled to copy of the reply out of her pocket. "The orders were verified, they have to be here."

"All the goods on that list were sold, this morning. Seems like your just to late." He walked over to the fire that he had burning in a barrel and warmed his hands.

"There's no where else we can get this stuff."

"Well that's not my problem."

"Abigail cabled you several times, you can't back out of a deal Hardwick."

Josie walked up behind them. "Everything on that list is inside."

"And its sold."

"Can you prove that?" Montana challenged.

Hardwick reached into the pocket of his coat. "Got the bill of sale right here."

Jay snatched it out of his hand and looked at it. "Sold to Thomas McCallister. Your going to make quite a nice profit at twice the price aren't you?"

Hardwick laughed. "Making a nice little profit is what business is all about, McGregor. Now, on your way."

Jay had a little idea about what to do about this problem. "Is this all the proof you've got?" He asked as he waved the bill of sale.

"Its all the proof I need."

Jay dropped it into the fire in front of him, the flames quickly engulfing the paper. "You said you had a bill of sale. The only proof I can see is this telegram." He pointed to the one Montana was holding. "In which you agreed to sell these goods to us." He could still see that Hardwick wasn't going to give in. "You've got a lot of wood and paper lying around, Hardwick. Ever think how easily this stuff burns?"

"Are you threatening me?"

"You know it would be a real shame to see this all go up in flames." Josie said as she caught onto what Jay was doing.

"Accidents do happen."

* * *

After getting his point across, they loaded up the wagons and left the town, going back as far as they could to Hope Valley before nightfall. Josie and Montana rode up to Jay who was leading the train on his paint stallion.

"You weren't really going to burn the place down, were you?" Josie asked as Thowra came alongside Jays horse.

"No, but Hardwick didn't know that, did he?"

* * *

"Harley, Harley! Get in here now!" McCallister shouted a little while later as he read the telegram Katie Yost had just dropped off. "Harley!"

Harley opened the door and walked in. "What?"

"Hardwick's pulled out. They got their supplies. This is the last time a woman mayor makes me look like a fool. Come on." He led the way to the bank and entered, startling Mr. Jenkins.

"I'm afraid you've caught me at a bad time, Mr McCallister, Mr. Rodcaster. I'm afraid if you don't have an appointment, I can't fit you in."

"I think a chat would be worth your while." McCallister snarled.

Mr. Rodcaster opened up his briefcase. "Before we arrived here, the bank of Chicago, Mr. McCallister's bank had several meetings with the Bank of Vancouver, regarding your borrowing arrangements with them. This is the appropriate paperwork, signed by the relevant heads of the departments." He handed the folder to Jenkins.

"I don't quite understand."

"I'd say it's a fairly simple concept to understand, Mr. Jenkins. I brought out your debts. We have what you'd say a controlling interest in your bank."

* * *

"By the time they told me," Mr. Jenkins explained to Abigail, Bill, Colin, Emily and Rachel in the café the next day. "The transaction had gone through."

"So basically." Abigail said, trying to understand what McCallister was doing. "Is he own's every mortgage and every debt in this town."

Jenkins nodded. "Yes. Have you heard anything from the people you contacted?"

"As far as they're concerned, McCallister's injection of funds is a welcome boost to the economy."

"Thomas has been very diligent in making the right people his friends." Rachel repleid as she rocked David.

"So, we're on our own." Colin commented.

"Interest rates go up on Monday." He looked at Abigail. "By two hundred percent."

"That's insane! No one can afford that."

"How many people does it affect?" Bill asked as he got himself another cup of coffee."

"Every second business. Nearly every farm. Your among one of the few families who isn't in debt. The people the drought didn't break, McCallister will. If only I'd known."

"Its not your fault, Herbert." Emily consoled.

"He's got to have an Archellie's Heel, or something." Bill said as he tried to find a way to stop McCallister from doing anything else. "In all your dealing's with McCallister, is there any loophole you came across?"

"Not as far as the bank is concerned." Herbert said as he shook his head.

"Thomas hires people more ruthless than he is to head his companies." Rachel explained. "If there are weaknesses, these experts can spot them long before anyone else can. He exploits other peoples weaknesses, but eradicates his own."

Cody suddenly ran through the door. "They're here! Jay, Josie and Montana, that's them!"

The people inside quickly followed Cody out onto the street and saw the wagon train returning, the wagons full of supplies. Josie saw Abigail and waved to her, then she dismounted and began to untie one of the wagons. She saw a package for the store and handed it back to Katie.

"Oh, Josie, this is marvellous, thank you." She said to Josie, then she turned and saw Herbert behind her. "Your ledgers, Mr. Jenkins."

Abigail walked up to Jay and Rob. "Well done, you two."

"Thanks, Abigail. Couldn't have done it without Montana's help." Rob replied as he winked at Montana. "We make a good team, don't you think?"

Abigail chuckled as she helped Lee with a box, then she heard Rachel walking up to Montana behind her.

"I've never seen anyone stand up to McCallister before."

"We did." Montana said as she grabbed a box that was passed to her.

"And he didn't try to stop you?"

"Oh, he tried, but we wouldn't let him." Montana said as she put the box on the ground.

Rachel grabbed another box, feeling happy that finally her husband was getting a taste of his own medicine.

"Here, let me do that."

"I'm stronger than you think." Rachel walked off with the box towards the store.

* * *

"Quite the hero's welcome." McCallister commented as he watched the people unload the wagons.

"LeClerk wired from Denver, he wants your go ahead by the end of the week. When are you planning to go back? We have several meetings scheduled in New York."

"They'll keep."

"I don't think they will.

"The maritime unions are beginning to flex their muscles, and I don't like the sound of what's happening there." He was interrupted by a knock on the door.

McCallister went and opened it. "Ah, Mr. Custer, come it."

* * *

When Abigail walked out of the café the next morning, to go to work, she saw George Custer loading up a wagon with his belongings. She looked at Josie who was beside her, then walked over to him. "George? George, what's going on here?"

"Don't say anything, Abigail, you wont change my mind."

"You've never mentioned anything about going away?" Abigail persisted.

"Came up sudden like." He replied as he tied down a rope on the wagon.

"It looks like a permeant arrangement, Mr. Custer." Josie commented.

"Yep."

Abigail realised what had happened, but she needed to hear it from him. "You'd you sell to?"

"Look, Abigail. I'm an old man, I'm tired, I'm too old to fight."

"Who did you sell to, George?"

"McCallister." He saw Abigail sigh. "He offered me more money than I've seen in my life. I'll never have to work again, I can visit my kids. Well, McCallister is the kind of man who gets what he wants. I can't afford to stand around until everything's gone."

"Can't you see what he's doing? He's buying up the whole town now, house by house, business by business."

"I'm sorry, Abigail. You've got to understand."

"Yeh, well, you'll be missed, George."

"Thanks, Abigail." He replied as he got up into the seat of the wagon. "Right'oh team, gid up."

* * *

Abigail saw Jenkins come into the office a little while later, looking very worried. "Herbert, what is it?"

"There's nothing else I can do, Abigail. I'm nothing more than a bank clerk now. McCallister is closing down three other business, adding to the four he's already done that to today. He's making generous offers on at least half a dozen others."

Abigail sighed. "So, if he can't buy the people's debts, he's offering more money for their properties than they're really worth."

"One way or another, he's going to empty this town, Abigail. Just like he said he would."

"Or maybe not." Abigail said as she got an idea.

"I can't blame them, they've had it to hard for too long." Abigail said as she got out cups of tea for the people she had gathered in her café to discuss her ideas.

"Money's a very persuasive thing." Colin admitted.

"It's a pity we don't have enough to fight him on his terms." Rob said as he sat down next to Montana and Josie. "This man seems to have a never-ending supply."

"Oh, yeh, but even he has his limits." Abigail replied as she filled her cup. Now, lets look at things from his prospective."

"He's a business man." Montana sighed. "He's strangling this town, so he can buy it for a song."

"And to do that, he has to have funds."

"And he does." Bill said as he came into the room. "He's just brought another business."

"Where?"

"The bank." Bill replied, getting Abigail's gist. "And my money's in the bank." He saw Abigail nod.

"And I've got money tied up, I'm not going to let him use that." Montana agreed.

"So, what would happen if the funds ran out?"

"He'd get them transferred from Vancouver, or anywhere." Colin exclaimed.

"No, not necessarily." Abigail said as she was about to put part two of her plan into action. "You see, he's just as isolated as we are. He only has one link with the outside world, and that's the telegraph."

"Hmm, not for long, come on Montana, and you too Rob." Josie said as she got up and they left the room.

* * *

"Have you come to tell me you've changed your mind?" McCallister asked as he saw Rachel standing at the door, a very set look on her face. "I've been patient with you for longer than any reasonable man would be. I'm pleased to see your common sense hasn't completely abandoned you."

"Well, you haven't heard what ive come here to say yet."

"Then perhaps you should tell me."

"Leave this town alone, Thomas. These people have done nothing wrong, your ruining their lives."

"Me? No, their fate's in your hands, its your choice."

"I've made up my mind. Let us live a decient life."

"You cant even provide my son with a home."

"Thomas, if I've ever meant anything to you,"

He pointed his fnger in her face. "You put to high a price on yourself. You want to go, then so be it, but I want my son, and I will have him."

"he's not something you own. He's supposed to be someone you love. But you wouldn't understand what that means, would you Thomas."

"You've had your chance. If you stay here, I'll take this town apart."

"This is a game to you, isn't it." Rachel took a step back. "Like everything else, its got nothing to do with me or David, as long as you don't fail. You couldn't stand the thought of failing, could you?"

"I wont."

"You failed me a long time ago." Rachel said as she pulled off her wedding ring. "Here." She threw it at her. "I won't let you fail my son." She turned and walked away, leaving a very bewildered McCallister behind.

* * *

"Will have necessary papers by next week. Stop. Go ahead with purchase of plant. Stop. We will contact our San Francisco office for consolidation of funds. Stop. That's fifty-five words all up." Mr Yost said as he turned to McCallister.

"Put it on my bill."

Mr. Yost nodded, then began to tap the message out on the telegraph, and realised it wasn't working. "It's gone dead." He checked the cord. "The line must be down."

"Send someone to fix it. I need to get this out."

"It's not quite as easy as that."

"Do it quickly, Mr. Yost." McCallister said as he started to get angry.

* * *

Abigail was pacing the room, when Montana, Rob and Josie returned to the café.

"We cut it in a few spots." Rob said as he grabbed a drink. "Its going to take them days to find them all."

"He's now as isolated as we are." Josie giggled. "I bet he won't be too happy about it either."

Abigail nodded. "Good. Come on, now for the rest of the plan." She said as she went to the door.

"After I get something to eat." Rob grabbed a sandwich off the table.

"Alright, coming, Josie?" She put on her coat.

"I'm getting something to eat too." Josie teased.

"Don't be to sad if by the time you get to the bank, all the money's gone." Abigail said as she walked out the door.

"I've only got ten dollars in there anyway." Josie replied as she grabbed a cookie, then helped herself to a glass of milk. "I don't trust banks."

* * *

"Good afternoon, Herbert." Abigail said as she placed her briefcase on the bench.

"Good afternoon, Mayor Stanton. How can I help you?"

"I'd like to cancel my accounts, Herbert. Café, personal and the town funds."

"I see."

"And I'd like it in cash. Can you cover that?"

"Yes. Right." Herbert said as he got out his account book. By the time that he'd finished with Abigail, a huge line of people were waiting at the door. As Abigail stepped out, Montana stepped up to the counter.

"I'ld like to withdraw some cash, Mr. Jenkins."

"Um, certainly, how much?"

"How much is in there?"

Herbert began to figure out what the town was planning to do. "Colin, is that why you're here?"

"Ah, yes it is. I'd like to close Emily and my personal account. And the churches."

"Yes, yes. You to Lee?"

"If you can cover it." Lee smiled.

"Indeed." Herbert laughed. "Indeed. I never though I'd be so glad to see a run on my own bank."

* * *

"Run?" McCallister demanded. "What do you mean there's been a run on my bank?"

"Well." Herbert began, quite happy with the new he had to give this tyrant. "It's a fairly simple concept to understand, McCallister. The bank is out of cash. The telegraph isn't operational, the stage coach and freight wagon are no longer running here, I'm afraid my hands are tied. There's nothing else I can do, but close up shop. Of course, I'll advised you if the situation changes, but I doubt that it will. In the mean-time."

McCallister lost it then. "Get out of my sight."

"Gladly." Herbert commented as he left the boarding house, quite happy that Abigail and the town had outsmarted McCallister.

Harley smirked. "Well, we can't get any messages out."

"Use my coach."

"They're not letting anyone through. They've got people posted on every road every bush track out. We cant leave, short of flying."

"They cant keep this up."

"No? I've been to the bank, now this is turning into a debacle. We have a contract to pay those people cash for their properties."

* * *

"Let them wait."

"I don't think they will. You can only buy so much loyalty and we have no tender at all. Face it Thomas, Abigail's out smarting you."

"Then I'll wait."

"For how long? Could take weeks, months. And what about your business, that mining contract with LeClerk in Denver, you can't keep him waiting, and if you lose that contract, you stand to lose millions. Cut your losses, you don't want her and you can always have another son.

"I want my firstborn."

"Is he really worth losing everything for?"

McCallister flung everything off his table. "Abigail won't get the better of me. I'll kill her first."

"And would that help any?"

McCallister looked at Harley. "I hate that woman, and Rachel, I'll get even with them."

* * *

McCallister strode out of the building into the street where the towns people had gathered. He saw Granger. "Mr. Granger, get back on your horse."

"I cant do that." He didn't even look at the man.

"Don't play games with me, Granger."

"I was wrong to side with you. These are good people. But what your doing, it aint right." He walked away, back over to Bill.

Abigail stepped down from the Mayor's office and walked over to McCallister. "I've got a message for you."

"I'm not interested."

"Oh, yeh, well the telegragh over at Blane's Ravine thought it was important. They sent a rider over."

"What is it?" He saw as the townspeople moved and backed Abigail up. "If your going to tell me what it is, please do so."

"oh, something about a LaClark," She paused for a moment. "LeClerk. Denver National Banking Cooperation. They're after some documents. They seem to be getting quite nervous about it. So, you see there is a telegram."

"Are you going to give it to me?"

"Yeh, if you pay for it. But it will cost you a bank. You see, Herbert Jenkins wants his bank back. One bank, one telegram. You see, McCallister, you can't just buy what you want." She looked at Rachel, who gave her an encouraging smile. "Not with us. You asked me before if I had this towns support. Well here's your answer." She looked around at the crowd gathered behind her. "You see, you can't just beat us all, we're too strong for that."

McCallister looked at Rachel. "You'll get nothing."

"I have everything I want right here." Rachel replied as she hugged her son.

"Admit it, McCallister, there's nothing for you here." Abigail held the telegram to him.

McCallister took it, and without a word, walked away with his accountant. "I'll have my revenge yet. I'll buy my time." He growled to himself as he accepted his defeat, for the mean time...

* * *

 **So, do you think McCallister is finished yet with Abigail, Rachel and Hope Valley? You'll have to wait and see in the next chapter... As always, if your liking the story, please drop me a review.. Your support is much appreciated...**

 **Sorry for those of you who are Elizabeth/Jack shippers... He will be back later on in the story, but for the meantime, this story is mainly about Josie/Abigail/Montana/Rob/Bill... You'll see why later as the story unfolds...**


	10. Back Story 7

**Back Story 7**

* * *

"Elizabeth, now's the rehearsals for the Founder's Day play coming along?" Abigail asked as she hurried to catch up to Elizabeth. Elizabeth turned to her, and Abigail saw that she'd been crying. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, Abigail." Elizabeth sobbed. "Its just hard not knowing if Jack's safe up there. At any moment he could be killed, and I can do nothing about it."

Abigail took her friend in her arms. "Elizabeth, you have to believe. You have to have faith that God will bring Jack back here safe and sound. Jack doesn't want you worrying about him. He wants you to be happy."

"I know." Elizabeth said as she wiped away her tears. "It's just hard."

"Elizabeth, I understand." Abigail said as they began to walk to the café. "Jack will be back as soon as he can. In the meantime, you need to keep yourself busy. How's the plans going for Founder's Day?"

"Not to bad. Its good that we can have a celebration. The trouble with McCallister still has been on everyone's mind, even though he left a couple of weeks ago."

"What have you got planned?" Abigail opened the door to the café. "As mayor I think I have a right to know what's going on in my town."

Elizabeth chuckled. "Well, since the children enjoyed the dance we had a few months ago, I thought that after the play we might hold another one in the saloon. Of course, there will be the usual games, Josie doing her horse riding trick show, your speech."

"My speech." Abigail groaned. "I hoped you had forgotten all about it."

"Nope, sorry. You can't get out of it. Anyway, I need to be off. I have things to plan." Elizabeth said as she went to the door to leave.

"Elizabeth, anytime you need to talk, I'm happy to listen. You know that I'm always here for you."

"Thanks, Abigail."

* * *

"Woah, woah boy." Montana said as she pulled her horse to a stop at a cliff over looking a waterfall. "Good boy."

"You still beat me." Rob laughed. "I think I'm going to trade in old Betsy for one of Josie's younger colts." He gave her a pat on the shoulder as he dismounted.

"Its just skill." Montana teased as she dismounted and quickly caught up to Rob. "You didn't bring me up here to look at the scenery, or did you?" She looked at him, seeing the distant look in his eyes. "Rob?"

"I like it here. Its where I come to think." He replied as he watched the water go by them.

"Yes?" Montana could see that something was on his mind. "Must be true what they say about still waters. I don't see you for days, and then.

"Yeh, I know. I've been pretty busy at the stables, you know, sorting things out. Thanks to McCallister, deciding to auction it off, I was able to get it. Josie's been quite understanding to about me buying it. Actually, I think she was glad I did, even though it means I won't be able to do as much work at Langara as I did before."

"Sure."

Rob grew serious. "Montana, I've got my own business now. I think it's about time I started putting down some roots. I just wondered if you felt the same way."

"About what?" Montana still wasn't sure where this was leading.

"Getting married."

She raised her eyebrows. "Married."

"Well, we could do it."

"That would be something to consider. I guess." She gave Rob a smile. "I really need to be getting back. Josie wants me to help her with a horse. I really don't know why though, she doesn't need it."

"Maybe she just wants to spend time with you." Rob said as he walked back to the horses with her. "She looks up to you a lot. She thinks the world of you."

Montana nodded as she mounted her horse. "Josie is a wonderful sister. When she was taken from us as a baby, I never dreamed that we'd ever see each other again. She's grown into a young lady I'm proud of. My father and mother would be proud to, if they were still alive."

"You must miss them." Rob replied as they began to ride back to Hope Valley.

"I do. At least I have Josie, and my other sister back in Colorado. I want to take Josie back there one day to meet her, but at the moment, she's just happy doing what she's doing." Montana stopped her horse. "Woah."

"What's wrong?" Rob asked as he stopped his horse too.

"I'm not sure." Montana replied as she dismounted, looking at the ground. "Dog tracks. Looks like it was dragging something. Stay here, I'll follow them." She started to head in the direction of the tracks.

"Be careful." Rob said, then he waited for her to return. "What was it."

"Colt." Montana said as she got on her horse. "Dog killed it. It was one of Josie's herd. With that and the three calves of mine it killed, its getting beyond a joke."

Rob looked around. "If you need to head back, go. I want to have a look around first." He replied as he got off his horse and got out his rifle.

"Alright, let me know what you find." Montana replied as she turned around. "I've got to go home before I go see Josie. If you find anything, let me know."

"Right." Rob waited until Montana had left, then he began to track the dog down himself. The trail lead into thick forest shrubland, then with the dead foal, the trail went cold. Rob stopped and looked around, not realizing that the dog was now behind him.

With a snarl and a growl, the dog leapt on top of Rob, knocking him to the ground. Rob grabbed the dog, keeping it from bitting his face, and trying to get back to his feet. As soon as he could take the chance, he grabbed the rifle and shot it off into the air. The dog took off with a yelp, then Rob quickly fired again, this time getting him but all it did was only wound him.

* * *

"Its only a scratch." Rob told Montana as she cleaned the bites on his hands from the dog.

"Yeh." She said sarcastically. "Only a scratch. What did you think you were doing getting yourself half mauled to death?"

"What would you expect me to do?"

"Stay in open country, keep a safe distance. You were the one with the gun, he had to get up close to do this much damage."

"Oh, so now you're the expert. It's a pity you weren't out there so you could have shown me how it's done."

"It's a rouge, and now it has a taste for human blood. You're the one we could have been burying up in the top paddock, you know that?" Montana said as she poured more iodine into the wounds. "What?"

"Nothing." Rob replied as he flinched. "Just wondering if you've had a chance to consider." He saw the look she gave him. "Well, I figure if you're going to criticize a man this much, you might as well be his wife."

"Marriage is a big step, Rob." She took the basin to the sink. "One I never thought I'd make."

"Do you still think that?"

"I think." She said as she walked back over to him. "I think." She paused to see his reaction. "I think I've never loved a man more. Of course I want to marry you." She wrapped her arms around him.

"You do?"

"Yes." She giggled as Rob kissed her.

"Good."

"We don't even have a ring." She exclaimed as she realized the fact.

"No problem. We'll get one. What sort?"

"I don't know, I haven't thought that far ahead."

"Gold, it has to be gold."

"Yeh, sure, but I saw one in a catalogue a while back from some fancy jeweller in Calgary."

"Great, the fancier, the better, I don't care how much it costs."

"Is this really happening?"

"You bet it is. We'll send away for the ring as soon as possible." Rob noticed a loose ring from her curtain. "And in the meantime."

"What are you doing?" She asked as he pulled it off the rod.

"Making it official." He said as he slipped it onto her finger. "Who are you going to tell about this first, hey?"

"Josie, of course." Montana replied as she grabbed her coat. "Speaking of Josie, I really need to get going. You should go and tell Matt about that dog. Get him to help you get it."

"Yes, Montana." Rob replied as he rolled his eyes.

"And while your there, you might as well tell them this new news." Montana flashed the ring. "Because if you don't Josie will get the word out faster then wildfire."

* * *

"Well, its about time." Danni teased after Rob told her about his engagement later at Langara. "You two make a perfect couple."

"This is great news." Matt said as he shook his son's hand, Rob wasn't too happy about that, because it was his sore hand. "Sorry about that. Maybe your wife to be should set you straight about being out-flanked in the future."

"The dog double backed on me." Rob defended himself.

"Oh, so its vicious and smart."

"Yeh."

"Who cares about the stupid dog?" Danni interrupted. "This is going to be the biggest wedding."

"No, no no, hold your horses." Rob tried to stop his sister, but she didn't listen.

"With bridesmadies and flowers and music."

"We haven't even discussed any details like that yet, so just wait."

"And your going to need to get a new suit."

"Danni."

"Montana will make the most beautiful bride. I wonder if she'll let me help her get ready." Then it dawned on her. "She's going to be my sister in law."

"I don't believe this." Rob looked at Danni. "And Montana was worried Josie will let the cat out of the bag."

"That's the thing about weddings." Matt said as he put his coat on. "You've got more chance of stopping a run away train then once the women get a head of steam up."

"Its going to be the most perfect day ever." Danni continued. "I'm going to go find my book with wedding dresses it in." She ran out of the room.

Rob rolled his eyes at his father after she had left. "Oh, boy."

* * *

Josie waited for Montana as long as she could, then she started with the horse herself. Bonfire was a sixteen hand beautiful bay stallion, five years old with a lot of spirit, but he had one problem, he had a vicious temper.

As Josie put the bit into the horse's mouth, Bonfire rolled his eyes widly, stamping his hooves with anger. "None of that today, mister." She said as she slapped him to stop him from biting her. "Where are your manners?"

Bonfire snorted as she carefully placed the saddle blanket on his back, then the heavy western saddle she used for breaking horses in. As she did up the girth, Bonfire kicked out, missing Josie's head by only inches. "Minster! Stop!" Josie wished Montana would hurry up, but there seemed to be no sign of her.

After she made sure the girth was done up nice and snug, so the saddle wouldn't slide around his belly, she led the horse out of his stall to the round yard, him prancing, bucking and trying to get away the whole time. As she locked the gate to the corral so that the horse couldn't get out, she saw Montana riding up and waved to her. She saw Montana wave back, then she unclipped the lead rope, threw it onto the fence and vaulted onto the horse.

Bonfire began bucking even before Josie had spent one second in the saddle. Josie jammed her feet down into the stirrups and yanked his head up. "Stop bucking, mister. You've never acted like this before." Josie said as he reared up, then hit the ground hard, trying to unseat her.

He began to buck harder, twisting his body each time he launched himself off the ground, then he tried another trick. As he landed from a whopping buck, he turned around and tried to bite Josie's foot, but got the saddle fender instead. As he bucked again, the saddle girth snapped, sending Josie flying.

Josie rolled herself away from the horse as she landed on the ground. Then as she flipped over, she saw the horse getting ready to attack her, pawing the ground and snorting. She slowly began to slide back towards the fence, then the stallion charged her, with the intent to kill, but he never got there. Before he could trample Josie, Montana dropped him with a single bullet and he crumpled in a heap on the ground, dead.

Montana ran to Josie, climbing over the fence and kneeling down beside her. "You alright?" She asked as she saw blood pouring out of Josie's nose.

"Yeh." Josie nodded as she pinched her nose. "I don't get why he went like that. He never did that before. I just don't understand it."

"Your lucky he didn't kill you." Montana said as she rubbed Josie's shoulder. "I'm sorry I had to kill the horse, Josie, but there was no other way of making him stop charging you."

"Its fine, Monty. Really, it is. It's safer for all of us that he's been put down, if he went like that and got loose, there's no knowing what he might have done."

"You right to get up now?"

"I think so." Josie looked at her wrist. "But I don't think I'll be doing my trick riding this Founder's Day. I know what your going to say." She looked at Montana. "Off to Dr. Shepherd for me."

* * *

Abigail pulled off her gloves as she closed the door to the café, then she saw Josie sitting on the couch with Montana, then she noticed the sling. "What on earth happened to you?"

"Um." Josie didn't know how to say it. "I came off Bonfire, then he charged me, so now he's dead. Carson said its only a bad sprain, and there's a lot of bruising, but it wont take long to get better."

Abigail gave a sigh of relief. "Josie, you make me worry about you so much about you." She playfully tapped her on the shoulder. "Be more careful next time."

"Well, since your both here." Montana began. "I have something to announce." She saw the questioning looks on their faces. "Rob asked me to marry him, and I've accepted!"

Abigail and Josie were thrilled. "That's wonderful news, Montana." Josie said as she gave her sister a hug. "I thought it would never happen."

"Well, with you getting us together every chance you had, I'd say you were quite counting on it." Montana gave a little laugh. "You did work hard to get us to talk to each other."

Abigail gave Montana a hug. "Congratulations, Montana. You've found yourself the perfect man."

"Thankyou. That means a lot to me, Abigail."

"So," Josie interrupted. "When's the wedding?"

"We haven't even thought that far yet, missy. Rob and I will have to talk about it. There is another thing though, Josie. When Rob and I were out riding today, we came across one of your foals."

"Brown with two white socks and a blaze?"

"Yes, if fact it was."

"Where is it?"

"The rogue dog that has been killing my calves got it just up near Stony Flat. Then Rob went to track it, and it attacked him. I'm going to get Bill and Jay to go after it, they'll know what to do. Until they do though, you'll need to be extra carful out riding. Its not afraid to attack humans, and it could be capable of killing one. I'm sorry, but I need to get going." Montana said as she grabbed her coat. "So, I'll see you two later."


	11. Back Story 8

**Back Story 8**

* * *

Montana was walking into the Mercantile the next day to get her order when Katie stopped her. "Montana, I have a letter for you."

Montana walked over to the counter. "Thanks." She looked at the back of the letter. "It's from my sister."

"Is there anything else I can help you with?" Katie asked as she organized the rack of magazines.

"Um, I did order some things the other day, have they come in yet?"

"Oh, let me check." Katie walked over to the list of incoming orders. "Yes, it's here. The box over there."

"Thanks Katie." Montana picked the box up and walked out to her wagon, then after she'd left the box there, she went to the café to read the letter.

* * *

When Abigail walked into the café from the garden, Montana was at one of the tables, with her head on her hand, reading the letter. Abigail noticed the look on her face. "Is everything alright?"

Montana sighed. "No. Mary-Lue, my other sister back home is sick, she needs help to run the farm."

"Oh." Abigail sat down beside her. "Is there any other family or friends back there that could help."

"A fiancé. Tom. I'm sure he'll be doing his best." She looked at the letter again. "I just worry about Mary-Lue being so far away. She sent this weeks ago. Anything could have happened since." She wiped a tear from her eye.

"Hey, hey, don't assume the worst until you know."

"Oh, you're right. But with another harsh winter on the way. Abigail, next to Josie she's all the family I have left. I'll write to her straight away. There must be something I can do. She might even be better now, who knows."

"That's the spirit." Abigail said as she placed her hand on Montana's. "Is there anything I can get you?"

"Coffee, please." Montana yawned. "I was up last night with a sick horse. Seems like he ate something that made him go a little skittish, then he collapsed."

Abigail got up and went to the kitchen, but she still continued the conversation. "Oh, is it possible that Josie's horse that went crazy yesterday ate the same thing?"

"Could be." Montana quickly figured out if it was possible. "They were in the same paddock about three days ago."

"I'd check it out if I were you." Abigail said as she returned with the pot of coffee. "If it made two horses sick, it might make others get the same thing."

"Your right. I'll go check it as soon as I've spoken to Josie. She should know her sister is sick. Where is she?"

"I think she's up stairs still." Abigail giggled. "The only time that girl gets any sleep is when she's sick or hurt herself. Any other time and she's up way before the rest of us, going for a five-mile ride on Thowra. She said enjoys the peacefulness of the morning."

"I do too aswell. Thanks for the advice Abigail." Montana said as she stood up and left Abigail change for the coffee. "I'll go quickly see if she's awake."

* * *

Montana was leading her mare into the town stables two days later, on Founder's Day when she saw Bill there, at work. "Hey."

Bill looked up. "Good Morning. I wasn't expecting anyone so soon, did you come early to beat the rush."

"Where's Rob?" Montana said as she looked around.

"He's still at Langara, I think. I'm helping out here for the day. Is there any reason in particular why your trying to find him?"

"Oh, no. Just wondering where he was. Bill, I think her off fore needs re-shoeing." Montana said, then looked back again at the paper in her hand.

"I'll take a look." He picked the horse's hoof up. "Seems to be pretty sound." He could see that there was something bothering her. "I was about to make a cup of coffee; would you like to join me?"

Montana nodded. "Sure, why not." She sounded a little relieved. "Where do you want me to tie her up?"

"Over there." He pointed to the rail a couple of other horses were standing at, then went into the office. Montana soon entered, and Bill poured her a cup of coffee. "Is it bad news?"

"My sister's in awful strife." She began to pace the room. "I was hoping her fiancé would be able to take care of her." She showed him the paper. It was a telegram. "But he's been wounded by rustlers. She's in no fit state for this kind of work."

Bill sat down. "So, with her fiancé out of action, there's no one to look after the ranch."

"Goodness knows what will happen to it unattended. The crops, the stock." She sighed. "It just doesn't seem right. How can everything so well for me while its so awful for Mary-Lue." She saw that Bill didn't know about their announcement, which was a surprise. She showed him her hand. "Rob asked me to marry him."

"He? Montana." He gave her a hug. "That's such good news."

"I know, and I love him so much, but with this." She threw the telegram onto the table. "What am I supposed to do? I can't just abandon my sister."

"You mean, how he will take it?"

"Uh huh."

"Well, I'm sure he'll want the best for you and your sister of course."

"Even if it means putting our plans on hold for a while?"

"You must tell him. And the sooner the better."

"Tell him I must leave as soon as possible? There wouldn't be time for a wedding before I go, and who knows when I'll be back." She looked at Bill and sighed. "Or if I'll be back."

"Now come on. I know Rob. You be honest with him."

"And if it ruins everything? What do I do then? What about Josie? She thinks the world of me. She's not going to like me having to leave."

Bill handed her a cup of coffee. "I'm sure they will both understand, Montana. Josie and Rob both know how much she means to you."

"Your right." Montana stood up. "Thanks for listening. I need to go make arrangements to go back home. Bill, while I'm gone, will you check on my place for me?"

"Sure, I'll be happy to."

"And another thing. Make sure Josie doesn't fret to much for me. She makes herself sick with worry sometimes. I really don't think I need to worry about both my sisters, one's enough for the time being."

"I understand." He watched her go to the door. "One thing Montana, if you need me to do anything else, you know I'm happy to help."

* * *

"I wish there was some other way, Josie." Montana explained to her as they sat at a table in the café.

"Well, how soon will you need to go?"

"There's a train leaving Lethbridge on Monday. If I leave tomorrow, I'll make it."

"Tomorrow?"

"Mary-Lue's fiancé, he could die. And she's to ill to fend for herself. Even taking the train straight to Denver I might not make it in time."

"Of course, you have to go." She held Montana's hand.

"But I don't need to go alone, you could come with me."

"Come to Colorado?"

"Why not? You and I could run the ranch until Tom gets better."

"I don't know if I can just get up and leave Hope Valley to come with you, like you're my sister, but this is my home, I have my business here. Cody, Abigail, Bill, the town. I don't think I can just up and leave. Not knowing when I could get back. I'm sorry Montana." Josie looked at her sister, knowing what she had to say. "You must go."

Montana sighed. "I know. I don't have a much of a choice."

"How has Rob taken it? What about your wedding?"

"Well, for a while, we'll be putting our plans on hold. We don't have much of a choice." Montana stood up. "I need to go pack, I'll see you tonight at the dance though. We can spend some time together before I go. Alright?"

Josie nodded, then heaved a huge sigh. "Okay."

* * *

"You all set to go?" Rob asked as he handed her one of her shirts.

"Almost." Montana threw her gloves into the trunk. "I have to catch the stage tomorrow, or I'll miss the train. Have you thought about our conversation?"

"Montana, I."

"You're not coming." She cut him off, then turned to him. "Before you say anything, you have to know this is something we can't control. This is fate. Something we can't predict, but it doesn't affect, it can't affect the way we fell about each other. The love we have."

"I want to think it wouldn't."

"You want to explain?"

Rob didn't say anything for the longest time, then he spoke. "I've been thinking about your suggestion, that way we wouldn't have to part. And I understand you have to help your sister. But I'm afraid I won't be coming with you. My future lies here, in the high country, in Hope Valley, with my work, with my family, and I hoped you."

"Well you haven't been listening. I can't stay." She turned and walked back to her trunk."

"Is there any reason you can't come back when you're done?"

"I guess not." She sat down, then fiddled with her ring. "This must be the shortest engagement."

"I'm not calling this off." He looked at Montana. "I just wish there was some other way."

"So, do I Rob, so do I."

* * *

It was the next morning, just after nine in the morning. Abigail, Bill, Elizabeth, Colin, Emily, Rob, Cody and Josie had gathered at the stage depo to say their goodbyes.

Montana turned to Rob. "I'll write to let you know I got there safely."

"I'd appreciate that." He said as he gave her a kiss.

"And I will be back. Just as soon as Mary-Lue is back on her feet."

"The sooner the better hey?"

Montana nodded at him, then turned to Colin and Emily. "You two have been great friends to me. Thankyou." She gave them both a hug. "Take care, you hear?" She then looked at Bill and Abigail. "Abigail, you have taught me some of the best lessons I'll ever learn. Thankyou for that. You've always been there for me."

Abigail nodded as she gave her a hug. "We'll miss you, Montana. Look after yourself, won't you?"

Bill shook Montana's hand. "You won't need to worry about a thing here, your ranch is in good hands with me. Enjoy your time with your sister and be sure to get word back to us."

"I'll try to, Bill, but I wont promise anything. My sister's ranch is three days ride from the nearest town, so if I can send letters, it will be few and far between." Then Montana turned to her hardest goodbye yet. "Josie, I've watched you become a fine young woman. I'm proud of you."

"Oh, Montana." Josie said as she threw her arms around her. "I wish you didn't have to leave."

"I know, honey." She replied as she fondled Josie's hair. "I wish I didn't have to leave to, but I must. I'm not good at saying 'Goodbye', so let's keep this short, hey?

Josie nodded, then the stage coach driver gave the boarding call. "Think of me sometimes."

"I will." She said as she let go.

"I'll miss you."

"Please." Montana said as she gave Josie one more hug, almost crying. "Don't make yourself sick."

"I won't." Josie replied as she watched Montana get into the coach, then she felt Abigail slip her arm around her. "Have a safe journey."

"All right team, gid up." The driver said as he slapped the reins, then the coach lurched forward, Montana waving out the window. The little crowd waved until the coach went around the bend, and out of sight.


	12. Back Story 9

**Back Story 9**

Abigail gave Josie a little hug after the coach had left. "You okay?"

Josie nodded. "Yes, I'll be fine." She gave a little sniffle. "It will be quite different without her around."

"Yes, it will be." Abigail agreed. "It certainly will."

Colin walked over to them. "Do you want to go fishing, Josie? We haven't been out together for a while It will take your mind off things."

"Sure. I'll just go get my rod." Josie walked away to the café.

"Can I come to?" Cody asked Colin as they began to disperse.

"No, sorry Cody." Abigail stopped him. "You have chores, young man. I've already let you skip doing your room for this week, so you need to go and get that stuff done now."

"Oh, alright." Cody said as he got an idea. "After I'm done, can I go play with Dasher?"

"Yes, you may." She chuckled as she watched him run off. "Have a good time, you two." She nudged Colin. "Just don't let Josie throw you in the river."

"Thanks for the warning." Colin gave his wife a peck on the cheek. "I'll be home for dinner."

"I'll hold you to it." Emily teased as she walked off, then Colin meet Josie at the small stable block.

"You're not taking Thowra?" he noticed her tacking up a brown pinto gelding. "Is something wrong with him?"

"No." She assured as she tightened the girth. "Thowra's fine. This one needs some lessons before I sell him to Rob as a lease horse. Shall we go?" She mounted the horse and grabbed the fishing rod off the fence.

Colin nodded, then jumped up on the horse behind her. "I need to just duck home, so I can get my rod."

"Alright." Josie nudged the horse into a canter, then pulled him up out the front of his house. "Here we go, sir."

"I won't be long." He said as he jumped down, then disappeared inside the house. It didn't take long for him to get his rod, and they continued on to the river.

* * *

Josie and Colin had bagged a few trout each, when she realized that they were out of bait. "Colin, want me to go and find some worms?"

Colin nodded as he reeled in another trout. "Sure, do you have something to dig with?"

"A trowel. I threw it into the saddlebag before I left." She stood up and began to climb up the bank. "I won't be long." She walked over to the horse and got out the trowel, then began to look for the perfect spot to dig, not noticing how far she went away from Colin.

Josie hummed a little tune as she dug under an old, rotten log in the damp forest. "Hmm, you're a big one." She said as she placed a big worm into the can, then began to hum again, not realising that they're latest evil enemy was watching her every move from the trees not far away.

As she made another hole in the ground, she screamed as hands grabbed her from behind. Her fight instincts kicked in immediately. "Let me go!" She screamed again as she kicked, punched and did everything else she could think of, trying to get away from the arms that were squeezing the breath out of her lungs, then she heard a gun being cocked, and felt the cold steel of the barrel being shoved into her temple.

"Not a peep, not a word." McCallister growled in her ear. "Or I'll kill you here and now."

Josie knew who was behind her now, and froze as he picked her up, still holding the gun at her head. She could see that McCallister had plenty of back up and didn't try anything as he threw her onto the horse in front of him. She heard him put his gun away, then he with one hand clamped over her mouth, picked up the horse's reins.

She made a swift move with her neck, breaking his clasp over her mouth. "Colin, Colin!" She screamed as loud as she could, getting desperate.

"Shut up." McCallister snarled as he slapped her hard across the side of her face and clamped his hand back where it had been, but Colin had still heard Josie's call.

He dropped the rod and ran up the side of the bank, towards where the screams had come from.

McCallister started to turn the horse, thinking he was in the clear when he saw Colin running through the forest towards them.

Josie managed to get her head away again to try to warn Colin. She heard McCallister reach for his pistol. "Colin, get down, he has a gun!" Colin saw McCallister and tried to duck, but the gun barked, and he dropped to the ground in a heap.

"Let me go! LET ME GO!" Josie screamed as she began to struggle again, getting frantic. As she spun around, she landed a good blow on McCallister's eye socket, angering him more.

He put his arm around her neck, chocking her. "I thought I told you to shut up." He grabbed his gun again, hitting her across the back of the neck with it. It did the trick, knocking her out cold. She slumped down across the front of the saddle, McCallister smiling smugly behind her. "Good night."

"Nice work." One of his men behind him said with venom. "Now that entire stupid town of Hope Valley will never see her again." He chuckled ghastly. "At least not alive."

"Lets just leave before any one can stop us." McCallister kicked his horse hard, showing no regard for its wellbeing. The horse threw its head up as he jerked on the reins, his eyes rolling with fear as he protested into a canter.

"What about him?" A man shielded behind his bandanna asked as he pointed at Colin.

"We'll leave him. He'll die anyway." He replied as they galloped off.

* * *

Bill was cantering through the forest on the road to Montana's, admiring the scenery as he passed. He pulled his horse to a stop, then as he grabbed a drink from his canteen, a loud shot rang out, scaring his horse. "Easy, easy, Jerry." He dropped the bottle as the horse reared, trying to get him back under control.

As Jerry calmed down, Bill quickly retrieved his canteen and remounted. "That's was a pistol shot. Let's go find out what that was, hey boy?" He nudged the horse into a gallop towards the sound.

As he rounded a corner, he saw a man lying on the ground, and nudged Jerry faster, sliding him to a stop beside the body and jumping off before the horse had even stopped. "Oh, God."

He gently rolled the body over and realized who it was. "Colin!" He was scared that the man was dead, but as he checked the man's pulse, he was relieved that he could feel it, there, but not strong. He knew Colin needed immediate medical attention and began to weigh up his options.

Bill heard a wagon approaching, and got his gun out, ready in case who ever had shot him was coming back, but lucky it wasn't. "Carson! Over here!" He yelled, trying to get the doctors attention.

Carson heard him and brought the team over. "Bill? What is it?"

"Its Colin, he's been shot. He's hurt bad." Bill held his handkerchief over the wound to stop the bleeding. "Am I glad to see you."

Carson jumped out of the wagon and ran over. "How long has he been here?"

"I don't know. Not long, I heard the shot." Bill looked around the forest. "The people who did it are gone."

"We need to get him back." He motioned to the wagon. "Let's get him in."

"Agreed." Bill helped Carson lift Colin into the wagon, then after Carson had started for town with Colin, Bill began to look for clues. He knew that Josie had went fishing with Colin, and he began to look for her. As he searched around the area, trying to find clues as to who had shot Colin, he began to realize this was going to be more serious than he first had thought.

Bill looked at the tracks in the dirt, reading that they showed five men with their horses had stopped there, and then four of them had dismounted and walked off, with the lone man leading the horses away, closer to where Colin had been shot. He decided to follow the men's tracks, and he came to where Josie had been searching for worms. As he read the rest of the tracks in the ground, a sudden sinking feeling arose in him.

As he looked closer, he could see the signs of a struggle between the four men and Josie. "Oh, God. Four to one. She had no chance of defending herself." He whispered as the realization occurred to him, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach with worry for the girl he thought of as his daughter, but then his Mountie taught instincts kicked in and he quickly added up that they had defiantly kidnapped 'his girl.'

He was about to leave the area and go back to where the horses had been left, when he saw one of Josie's hair ribbons lying in the dirt. He picked it up and saw that it was one of the ones he had given her for her fifteenth birthday. He looked at it for a few moments, then stuck it back in his pocket. With renewed determination, he ran for his horse, mounted and then began to track the men down.

He followed the tracks on horseback until they ran out, about five miles away from where he'd found Colin. He figured that they knew that someone would be on their trail, and he saw they had chosen to go on ground that would leave no trace of them being there. As he looked down the path, anger began to build up inside him, knowing there was know way to catch up to them with out help. It would be suicide to follow them.

"Stay strong, darling. I'll find you." Bill gently whispered, then turned his horse for town.


	13. Back Story 10

**Back Story 10**

* * *

As Bill rode into town, Matthew McGregor ran up to him. "Bill?"

"Yes?"

"What happened? Do you know who shot Colin?"

"No, Matt, I'm sorry. I don't." Bill said as he dismounted his horse outside the café. "I followed the men I believe who did it until the trail went cold. They know this business well, and they know how to cover their tracks, so the law can't follow them." He wanted a little more time until he had to tell Matt that Josie had been kidnapped as well. "Is Colin alright?"

Matt nodded. "Carson is in there now working on him. He said its touch and go, and he still doesn't know if he'll make it. He said though that if you didn't find him and stop the bleeding when you did, he still wouldn't be here."

"I'm just glad I was there to help." Bill knew he couldn't wait any longer. "Matt, there's another thing."

"What?"

"I found evidence that the group that shot Colin have kidnapped Josie. I don't know who they are, or what the motive is, but they have her. I'm sorry Matt, I tried to find them, but I couldn't follow the tracks any further than to Rock Ridge." Bill paused for a moment. "I'm going to send out telegrams to the Mounties so that people know she's missing. I just pray we find her soon."

"Oh, Lord." Matt whispered as the news sunk in. "Please let her be alright." He said it in more of a quick prayer than an answer to Bill. "I know you would have done the best you could. I won't hold it against you for losing the trail." He gave Bill a pat on the shoulder. "I need to go and check on Emily. She's taken Colin being injured quite hard."

"That's understandable." Bill nodded. "Matt, let me know what happens with Colin, please?"

"Sure." Matt turned and walked towards the infirmary. "let me know if I can help with anything, Bill. I'll be happy to."

"I will." He turned back to his horse and gave it a pat, then he walked up the stairs to the back door of Abigail's Café, dreading the conversation they had to have. He took a deep breath, then opened the door and walked in. Abigail was at the sink, washing dishes and she was softly singing a hymn. He quickly offered a prayer for strength and walked over to her. "Abigail, we need to talk."

Abigail stopped singing as she looked at him, her eyes searching to see if she could see anything in his expression that might give her an idea as to what it was about. "Yes, Bill?"

"Its best if we sit down."

"Alright." She nodded, beginning to realize that this conversation wasn't going to be pleasant from his tone, then she began to wonder if it was bad news about Colin, but she waited until they were both seated to voice her concerns. "Is it about Colin? Is he alright?"

"No, its not about Colin. I did speak to Matt though and he said Carson was still with him." He was not enjoying this at all. "It's about Josie."

"What about Josie?" Abigail looked up at him, her eyes telling him in unspoken words her worry.

Bill wished he was a million miles away right, but he knew that he had to tell her, no matter how hard it was going to be, but he knew he had to start from the begging. "I was riding out to Montana's to have a quick look over her stock when I heard the shot, then I found Colin. Carson came by and took him back here, so I began to look around for clues as to who shot Colin. I found traces of four men, so I followed them. At the end I found a young woman's tracks and signs of a struggle. The I found this." He pulled out the muddied hair ribbon and handed it to Abigail. "Its from the ones I gave Josie for her birthday. She lost it when she tried to get away. I followed the men's trail until it went cold. Abigail, I'm so sorry."

Abigail nodded, the news sinking in, but she was in disbelief. "Wwwhat?" Her voice began to break. "They've kidnapped her?"

"Yes." Bill didn't know how to explain it any easier to her.

"Oh God." She began to cry. "What will they do with her?"

Bill's heart broke for her and he gave her a hug as he tried to comfort her, Abigail sobbing in his arms. "I don't know, honey, I don't know." He stroked her hair. "All we can do is pray that she's safe, and that they don't harm her. Josie's a smart girl, she'll know what to do."

"Is there anything else we can do to find her?" She asked between sobs as she buried her head in his shoulder. "Send out a posse?"

"Yes, I'm planning on getting a posse together to go and hunt them down but depending on how far away they probably won't find her." He stated the obvious with out words, that even he had his doubts about finding her. "I'm going to go and put it out on the wire, asking the other Mounties and law enforcement to keep an eye out for her. Hopefully we will get something back."

As Bill comforted Abigail, neither of them noticed Cody dragging Paster Frank through the café into the kitchen. "Mum! Guess who's come back!" Cody yelled as he ran in, then he stopped as he saw Abigail and Bill. "Mum? Sheriff Avery? What's wrong?"

Abigail let go of Bill and knelt down to Cody's level, trying to think of how to tell him. "Josie's been kidnapped, sweetie. Bill came to tell me."

"Oh, mum." Cody didn't know what else to say, instead he threw his arms around her.

Bill watched Abigail and Cody, then he looked up at Frank, who was standing at the entrance to the kitchen. He motioned for him to follow him, then they left Abigail and Cody together and went to the General Store. "When did you get back in town?" Bill asked Frank, a little hostilely.

"I just got back. They let me have a week off at the hospital, so I came back to visit. Is it true? Who took her?"

"Its true." Bill said as he opened the door to the store. "Colin's been shot by the same men too. Carson's been with him for a while."

"What's the plan?" Frank asked as they waited for Mr. Yost. "Is there anything I can do?"

Bill looked at him, deciding to put their rivalry aside for Josie's sake. "You can go and collect as many men as you can to form a posse. We'll leave in an hour, make sure they have supplies for at least three days. Get Jay, he's a real hand at tracking, and the three dogs, Wolf, Kichie and Buddy. If there's a trail to be found, they'll find it."

Frank nodded. "Right. Just quickly before I go, do you have any idea who would have taken her?"

"I don't know, but I intend to find out."

* * *

When Josie awoke with a rather big headache, she realised with a start that she was on a train. She opened her eyes and looked around the little first-class compartment she was in and was relieved to find that she was the only person in there.

Her head was throbbing, and she could feel something wet running down the back of her neck. She touched it, and as she pulled her hand away, she saw it was covered in blood. "No wonder I have such a headache, I probably have concussion." She whispered to herself, then groaned as her flight instincts kicked in. Who ever knocked her out would be back soon, she knew she needed to get out of there.

She tried to stand up, but as soon as she did, the room began to spin, and she quickly sat back down again, holding her head as a wave of nausea overtook her. "Yep, not a good idea." She groaned again after another bolt of pain went through her head. Then she heard footsteps coming and she quickly weighed up her options. There was no way in her condition that she would have the strength to fight them, and her hand went to where her gun normally would have been holstered, but it wasn't there. "I didn't think you'd leave it for me, your dumb, but you're not that dumb." She growled as she knew McCallister had her weapon. Then she realized she was out of time, and decided the best thing to do was pretended to be asleep, so she laid back down into the same position as before, her ears listening for any noise.

"You know, its been three days since you hit that girl on the head." She heard a man say as he opened the door to the compartment. "When do you think she'll come too?"

"I don't know." McCallister said as he sat down. "The longer she's out for, the less she'll know. Anyway, we should be in Helena by night fall, if the train runs on time."'

 _Helena, that's in Montana, nearly three hundred miles from Hope Valley._ Josie thought. _Crud. No chance of anyone finding me before I'm too far away.._ She felt the train going over a rough spot of track, and she couldn't help herself from whimpering and groaning from the pain as her head hit against the back of the wooden chair.

"Well, well, well." McCallister smiled meanly. "Seems like "Sleeping Beauty" has finally awoken. Welcome to the party."

Josie sat up, knowing that her pretending was over. "What do you want?" She growled as she looked at McCallister, then at the four men with him.

"Well, its rather simple." McCallister towered over her. "Your "Mother" prevented me from having my wife and son back, so I thought I'd get the best revenge by taking away something she loves. And that something was you."

"How kind." Josie closed her eyes as she fought the urge to throw up, not wanting to provoke this man any further by making a mess. She opened her eyes after it passed and looked McCallister in the face. "I hope you do realize they will come looking for me, and when they do." She paused to make the threat more meaningful. "You'd want to be a thousand miles away."

McCallister leant down close into her face, fully intending to be intimidating her. "Are you threatening me? Seems like right now, you're in no position to be so confident of them rescuing you." He caught a fly that had been buzzing around and killed it with his hands. "I can kill you as easily as a fly, if I wish." He motioned to his gun. "Got my point?"

Josie slunk back against the chair, trying to get away from him. "Yes. I get your point."

"Now that that's settled, there is another matter. Your going to pose as my daughter when we are around people, so no doing anything smart. You're going to do what I say or suffer the consequences."

* * *

They arrived in Helena at around eight that night. Three of the men went to another hotel, so as to avoid suspicion, and the one that remained with McCallister was posing as his brother. McCallister had the whole operation planned out, booking into places that had limited escape options for Josie, but also making sure that his comforts were met, with women to flirt with and beer.

"Is there anything else you need?" The friendly lady clerk asked as she handed him the keys to their rooms. "The rooms are adjoining, like you requested, with separate bathrooms and if you need extra linens, all you need to do is ask."

"No, I don't think so, you've done a wonderful job organizing this for me." McCallister put his arm around Josie. "I just want my daughter to enjoy her trip with me. Josie and I don't get much time together."

The lady smiled. "How sweet. Its nice to see father's and daughters close. You don't see much of that nowadays. Your rooms are on the second floor. You take the stairs, then they're directly on the right."

"Thankyou for your help." He handed her a twenty-dollar bill to pay for the room. "And keep the change as a tip for your service." He grabbed Josie's arm. "Come on, sweetheart."

Josie gave the woman a look of terror as she froze, then she went with him, knowing that if she said anything, McCallister would kill her. She rolled her eyes as she nursed her hate for the man. He was so pathetic with his show of being a great father, when it was nothing further from the truth.

When they had gotten out of the clerk's sight, Josie yanked back her arm out of his grasp. "I don't recall asking for a personal walking assistant."

"No, you didn't. But I'm not letting you have the chance to get away. You'll do as your told, you understand? Don't think for a moment I didn't see the look you gave the lady. Don't try it again, you know what I'm capable of." He purred meanly. "And if you try to escape, you'll get the beating of your life, understand?"

"No wonder your wife took off." Josie said as she unlocked the door, opening it to the room. She saw the room to the left that she would be staying in, then saw the bathroom, making note of her escape routes. Then she turned to McCallister. "Your nothing but a bigot." She snapped. "I've had worse. I've ridden horses you'd think the devil was inside, I've been bitten, kicked and stepped on by them. Your nothing I can't handle, in fact, I've been told "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" so if it's true, watch out. You might like to think you scare me, but you don't." She gave a smug smirk as she saw McCallister going red at her little speech, it giving her the courage she didn't have before. She walked off into the bathroom, him following her. "If you don't mind, get out. I have things to take care of." She closed the door in his shocked face and locked it, then turned to the basin to clean herself up. _Things like planning my escape._ She thought as she splashed water on her face to cool herself down.

* * *

Josie's stomach growled as she waited for McCallister to go to sleep. As a reward for her sarcasm, all he had fed her was bread and water, with the promise that it was all she would be getting for the next week. Her head was still throbbing, but she felt that she was strong enough to try to get away. She listened until she could hear McCallister snoring softly in the room next to her, then she made her move.

As quietly as she could manage, she sat up and got off the bed, and crept over to the window, only to discover that is was locked tight. She figured out her next best option was to try and make it out the door, since the room only had the one window.

Carefully, slowly, trying not to make the floorboards creak and alert McCallister that she was up, she crept over to the door. As she tried to turn the handle, she realized it was locked as well. She growled softly, low in her throat. _I didn't expect you to leave the welcome mat out. Typical._ She thought as she began to try to find a new plan, then it came to her. She pulled out one of her hair pins out of the bun he'd insisted her to wear into town, silently thanking him for it, because now it was going to give her the ticket she needed to get herself out of this predicament. She straightened it out, then inserted it into the lock.

It took her a couple of tries to get the pin combination right, then the lock finally released. Sending up a silent prayer, she opened the door and took a couple of steps forward into McCallister's room, and towards the door to freedom. She stopped with fright as a floorboard creaked under her, not daring to move on.

She took a quick glance over to where McCallister was sleeping and was quite relieved to find that it hadn't disturbed him at all. She started forward again and reached the other door with no more mishaps. Again, she found it locked, and again she used the hair pin to unlock the door.

As she closed the second door softly behind her, she gave a little excited sigh. Now all she had to do was get out of this building and find the nearest Sherriff's office. Every fibre of her being screamed "Run!" but she knew if she did, she'd make to much noise and wake up her captors, so she kept herself to a slow walk, failing to notice that the "Brother" of McCallister had heard her.

She managed to make it out of the hotel, much to her relief, and into the deserted streets. There wasn't a soul around, with the lit street light giving the place an eerie glow that made her feel very nervous and jumpy. She tried to remember what streets she'd seen from the carriage they had taken to the hotel and decided to take the left street.

Josie began to run down the street, keeping against the shadows of the buildings so that if someone was out on the street, they wouldn't see her. She used anything she could find, tree, boxes, anything to hid behind and survey the street before she'd move on. Once, she'd almost screamed as a garbage can was knocked over, but it was only a stray cat, much to her relief.

It quite surprised her that it didn't take long for her to retrace her steps back to where she'd seen the sheriff's office, and she gave a contented sigh as she looked across the dark street to the lit office from the shadows of the alleyway she was hiding in. All she needed to do was cross the road, then she'd be safe.

As she was about to take another step, she heard a noise behind her. Turning around to look, she gave a frightened scream and tried to run, but for her it was too late. McCallister grabbed her roughly, clamping his hand down hard over her nose and mouth so she couldn't breathe.

"Tried to escape hey? Still not scared of me?" He asked, enjoying the fear he saw in her eyes. "Hmm, should I kill you know, or wait? So many decisions." He pulled out his gun, and held it next to Josie's head, the girl freezing with terror. "I think for now, I'll just see how you'll be after I give you the beating I promised you." He raised his gun quickly, aiming to knock her out.

Josie saw it coming, and she tried desperately to duck, but then everything went black…


	14. Back Story 11

**Back Story 11**

* * *

Four days had passed since Josie had been kidnapped. Bill had notified every single Mountie and Sherriff around the country that Josie had been kidnapped and asking if they'd seen her, but every inquiry had turned up blank.

Bill ran his fingers through his hair as he sat at his desk in the office. Every replying telegram said almost the same thing. _We're truly sorry, but we haven't seen a girl fitting this description._ They had read. Surely a girl couldn't just go missing without a trace, but she had.

His thoughts were interrupted when the door opened, and Frank walked in. "Any luck?" Bill asked hopeful that the posse Jay and Frank had lead might have found the girl.

Frank shook his head as he sighed. "Sorry, Bill. Not a trace. The dogs tried their best, but the frost we had made the scent disappear." He sighed again as he sat down. "Have you got any better news from your contacts?"

"Nope. And having no news isn't good news either. I'm going to contact every newspaper in this country and get them to publish her description. Hopefully we might get something back from that."

"What if they've taken her across the border?"

"I've already notified every Sherriff and Marshal I know of over there. I've contacted Montana too, but still no ones seen her." Bill sighed, knowing he had to admit it. "I'm running out of options."

"Have you ever heard of a case before like this? A child just goes missing?"

"Actually, I worked on one." Bill poured himself and Frank a cup of coffee before continuing, remembering the case he'd been on. It hadn't ended well. "There was a young girl, almost the same age, and much like Josie. Her father wouldn't sell his land to another man, so the man took his daughter. The Mounties called me in when they couldn't find her, and I was on the case for two years. When I found the girl, I was too late. They'd killed her. I can only imagine what she went through, she would have been utterly terrified." His thoughts went back to Josie. "Much like I expect Josie would be feeling right now. I might not be the church going type person, Pastor, but I can say with all honesty, I've never prayed for someone like I've been for Josie these last few days."

"I think everyone can say that right now." Frank took a sip of the coffee. "That girl is a part of this town, and she's in everyone's hearts. One thing is for sure, nothing is going to stop her from trying to get back here, well, except for the people who took her." He put the cup back down. "What about Colin, is there any news on him? He must have saw who had taken her."

"I spoke with Carson this morning. He still doesn't know if Colin will pull through, but he could be our only hope in finding her. I'm more worried about what its going to do to Abigail. She's already lost one child, how will she be if we find Josie dead, or worse, never find her?"

* * *

The next few days were a blur of pain, torture, fear and terror for Josie. After the whipping and beating she'd experienced at the hands of McCallister, she was terrified. She began to withdraw from her surroundings, relying more and more on the good memories of times with her family and friends in Hope Valley to help her get through it. She knew she would try and escape again, even if it meant that she died in the attempt, but she also knew she was too weak to try. McCallister wasn't going to help her get her strength back either. He only fed her bread and water, and he wasn't at all worried about the gashes he'd torn in Josie's back when he'd whipped her. He didn't care less if the girl died from infection, or by his hand, all he wanted was to hurt Abigail as much as he possibly could.

Josie picked up bits and pieces of information as she was taken across the country by McCallister. She figured out by what he'd said to his men, that they were on their way to Denver, in Colorado. When she'd heard that, she was almost excited for a moment, as she knew Montana was near there, but it died away quickly as she realised she had no way of getting word to her sister.

She was daydreaming about being back in Hope Valley, with none of this nightmare ever taking place when the train began to slow down for its next stop. She heard the conductor call out. "Next stop, Denver. Passengers to get off at this station are required to make there way to the doors now. I repeat…." His voice trailed off and Josie groaned as she felt another wound open back up as she went to stand up.

McCallister stood up and picked up the coat he'd brought for Josie to wear to hide her wounds. "Well, here's our stop. Your now over a thousand miles away from Hope Valley, so don't get your hopes up of being rescued. And tomorrow you'll be traveling to San Francisco to get on a ship to England. Your precious Abigail will never see you again." He shoved the coat towards her. "Put this on, now."

Josie's eyes snapped in defiance. "No."

"You'll do as I say." McCallister grabbed her arm and shoved her into the wall. "Now, will you put it on?"

Josie decided to oblige and put on the coat, over the new dress he'd made her wear because the other had blood stains and rips in it. "One way or the other, they'll still come looking for me." She growled as she grabbed the bag that held her other clothes.

"Even if they do." McCallister opened the door and made her go through it. "They'll never find you when you're in England, married and with a different name. Good day to you, mam." He tipped his hat at a pretty lady who walked past them.

"So, that's your plan with me?" Josie rolled her eyes as he helped her down off the train, to show the crowd that there was nothing unusual here.

"You'll see, eventually." He waited on the platform for the other four men to join them, then they walked out of the station. "Ah, there's the coach." He motioned to a pristine, gleaming red buggy. "Here, I'll help you in." He said to Josie loud enough for a passer-by to hear.

Josie sat down in the carriage, rolling her eyes, hating every moment of being in this man's power. "How nice of you to help me." She scowled. "Maybe you could have helped me by not giving me a convict's share of a whipping."

"I warned you about trying to run away. You're going to make me a pretty penny. Home, Stafford." He commanded his driver.

"Pretty penny?" Josie asked as the coach rolled out of the town. She really didn't like the sound of it, and marriage? Then she figured out what he was planning. He was selling her to be a man's bride.

"Oh, you'll see. It's the high stepping filly's that make the best mares, hey?" He brushed her fringe out of her eyes to look at her face. "You've got very smooth skin.

Without warning Josie quickly turned and bit his hand as hard as she possible could, the metallic taste of blood filling her mouth. "I'd appreciate you keeping your comments to your-self. I'm not anyone's ornament."

McCallister cradled his bleeding hand. "If we weren't in a public place, I'd whip the life out of you."

"No doubt you would, but then I wouldn't be able to make you a "Pretty Penny"

"She's got you there, McCallister." Stafford commented.

"Your job is to drive, not commentate, Stafford. Shut up and do your job." McCallister snapped. "Oh, no, the man whose buying you like a girl with spirit. He'll enjoy the challenge of getting you to submit to him."

"Hmph." Josie sneezed as some dust tickled her nose. _Great, I get his meaning. More whipping and beating._ She thought. _Well, looks like I need to take the first chance I have to get away._

As McCallister's estate came into view, Josie realized that making a getaway might be harder then she first had thought. The house was guarded with dogs, and it had a huge brick wall running all around the property.

"Isn't it grand?" McCallister gloated as they drove through the gates.

"I've seen grander manure heaps." Josie snarled as they came to a stop in front of the house, still making mental notes of her escape routes.

"I see being kidnapped and tortured hasn't affected your humour or sarcasm!" He replied as he glared at her.

"Never..." She replied as a small smirk crept across her face. "Sorry, sarcasm falls out of my mouth like stupidity falls out of yours." She saw the anger creeping into his eyes, then she turned away and looked at the house as he got out of the coach and basically dragged her into it. As they went past the library, Josie saw the "Send" letter box and had an idea. "Since your going to be locking me up, can I get a couple of books?"

"No objection here, but I'll be standing at the door if you get any ideas."

"I'm sure you would." Josie commented as she went over to the huge bookshelves. As she pretended to look at the books, she watched McCallister and waited for her chance. At the last hotel they'd stayed at, she'd stolen an envelope, pencil, paper, and had written a small note to Abigail, telling her she was alive, and where she was. She saw him distracted for a moment and slipped it into to the pile of letters in the box, then she quickly tied her hair ribbon around the vase on the table, hoping that if someone came looking for her later, they'd recognize it. Not wanting to push her luck, she picked up a couple of books and went back to the door.

"Right, up here." McCallister pointed to a door at the top of the stairs. "You'll be in there till tomorrow."

Jose gave a quick glance around, looking for anything she could slip into her sleave to use as a weapon, but all she saw was a servant girl with a tray.

"Come on." McCallister grabbed her roughly by the arms, pushed her up to the top of the stairs and threw her into the room. "I hope your short stay is pleasant." He chuckled ghastly as he locked the door, then went back down the stairs.

Josie sighed as she stood up from where McCallister had knocked her to the ground, her wounds opening again from the movement. She looked around the room. It was empty of everything, except for a bed, table and chair and a few minor nick-nacks. "Splendid." She scoffed as she sat down, still trying to think of an escape, then she saw the window. "Hmmm." She walked over to it and looked out, realising she was being held in the attic. How was she going to get out?

* * *

Josie was startled to realise she'd fallen asleep in the chair, then she wondered what had awoken her. She could hear footsteps leaving and looked at the door, quite surpassed to see a note had been slipped underneath it. She went over and picked it up, unfolding it as she walked back over to her chair.

 _I don't know who you are, but I'm here to help you escape. I'm Amelia, the servant girl you saw with the tray. Under the mattress, there is a pencil and paper. I don't know much about what we'll need if we're planning to escape, so if your in on the plan, write me a list of what we'll need, and I'll try to help get them. McCallister has the only key to the door, so I can't unlock it, but you can unlock the window. Write me a reply, and when you hear three knocks on the door, that's me. Put the note under the door then._

After she had read it, she slipped it into the secret pocket inside her corset, then she found the paper and pencil under the mattress and wrote Amelia a reply.

 _Thank you so much for offering to help me get away from here. My name is Josie. I have a plan figured out, but it will require a bit of help from you if its going to work. We'll need a couple of good horses to ride, fully tacked and a couple of pack horses to carry supplies. We'll need what ever guns you can get your hands on, and plenty of ammunition for them. See if you can get some bedrolls, matches, food and extra clothing for both of us, and anything else you think might be handy. I have a plan to get myself out of this room, I think I can get out of the window, but it will be a bit of a drop to the ground, hopefully I can manage to find a way down. Try the best you can to get what we need, but whatever you do, don't let McCallister get a whiff of what we're planning. Good luck._

It was half an hour before Josie heard Amelia's signal, and after she had heard it, she slid the folded note under the door, then waited again for the reply. It didn't take long for Amelia to write it and slid it under the door and Josie picked it up and read it as she heard Amelia leave.

 _I'm in. If things go to plan, we'll be able to escape tonight. We don't have much of a choice though, if we don't, you'll be on the train tomorrow to San Francisco and the ship to England. Leave the rest of the planning to me, I can manage to get us out of here. Please do be warned though, if McCallister catches us, he'll hang us a horse thief's. The foreman here hung a boy only yesterday for attempted horse theft, so if we get caught, we'll probably meet his end aswell. We'll leave at midnight, everyone will be asleep then. I'll let you know I'm ready by throwing a pebble at the window. When you hear it, get out and come to the big oak tree you passed on your way in, then we'll run for it. Don't worry about the dogs, I'll have them handled. Good luck._

After Josie had read the note, she looked at the clock on the wall. It said that it was barely two in the afternoon. This was going to be an agonizingly long wait….


	15. Back Story 12

**Back Story 12**

 **Hi All! Here is a nice, long chapter for you to read. But before you do, there is just one thing I'd like to adress. My fanfic will never contain things of an +21** **"Adult" nature. I just feel that i need to say, as a young Christian lady, that that type of writing is something I refuse to write. I really appreciate that WCTH is a show that is clean, with good morels. Although I have seen some FanFiction that has a lot of the stuff I refuse to watch, I just feel that a good story doesn't need a lot of "Bed Stuff" to make it good.**

 **Anyway, thats my little rant. Enjoy the chapter.**

 **Shout out to Susie Thornton for your continued support. Thankyou.**

* * *

By the time Amelia had gathered the things they would need for the escape they planned for midnight, Josie was more than ready to leave the place as fast as she could. She'd put the time she had to wait to good use, finding little things here and there that would be of use to her and Amelia later on in their quest to get away. Things like sheets, wire from the light bulb she broke, stuffing out of the mattress to start fires and a whole little bundle of other things.

Josie sat by the window eagerly, waiting for the signal, then it came. A little rock pinged against the glass and Josie knew that from now on, there was no turning back. McCallister had taken all of Josie's hair pins off her since the last attempt, so she inserted the wire from the light bulb into the lock and hoped it would do the trick. It did. The lock gave way with a little click, then she lifted the window and placed the little backpack she made from a sheet outside on the roof.

Carefully she swung her leg onto the windowsill, then as quietly as she could she slid through the window onto the roof. So that no one suspected anything by an open window, she decided to close it. After she did so, she began to look for a way down. Creeping slowly, she made it to the edge of the roof and as she peered down to the ground below, she realised this was going to be a little bit harder than she had first thought.

For a second, she contemplated jumping, but thought it better not to, as breaking a bone was not in the cards for her tonight. She carefully lowered herself down off the roof to the hand rail of the third floor, trying to not open the wounds on her back again. Slowly and carefully she repeated the manoeuvre twice again until her feet were on solid ground, the she turned and ran for it, making a bee line for the tree where they'd agreed to meet.

"You made it." Amelia said with relief as Josie caught her breath.

"Yes, now let's get out of here. What's the plan?" She asked as she mounted one of the saddled horses.

Amelia quickly followed suite, then handed the leads of the pack horses to Josie before she got her map out. "There's a cave about twenty-five miles north of here. I thought we could make it to there by daybreak. That will give us a decent head start, and a place to hide when McCallister comes to find us."

Josie took a look at the map. "Right, lets do it. I like your line of thinking. Did anyone suspect anything?" She questioned as they began to ride the horses in the shadows away from the house.

"Not from what I could tell. I managed to get enough stuff to load three pack horses as you can see without much trouble." Amelia slowed the horses as they came to the gate and dismounted, getting the key to unlock the padlock. "We'll take the road until we can cut across country to the cave, we won't be able to leave evidence this way." She fiddled with the lock for a few moments, then sighed. "Horsefeather's! The locks been changed."

"Let me have a look." Josie said as she dismounted and grabbed the padlock. "This is one lock I can't pick. Is there another way to get out of this place?"

"No. The wall is the whole way around this part of the property. There is only this gate and another one. We have no choice, somehow we have to break it."

Josie thought for a moment. "Got any dynamite?"

Amelia laughed. "Nope, but I like you're thinking."

"Never mind, I have another idea." She walked over to the saddle bag and pulled out a shotgun shell, then opened it with a knife and went back over to the gate, and the lock.

"What are you doing?"

"Putting a little gun powder in the lock, then we light it." She placed a little bit of it inside the keyhole. "Grab me a match."

Amelia pulled out the little box out of her pocket and handed it to Josie, looking at her sceptically. "Is this going to work?"

"It should." Josie grabbed out a match. "Hold onto the horses, lets see if this works."

"The words "Stand" and "Back" spring to mind. I'm out of here." Amelia ran with the horses a good distance away.

Josie struck the match and stuck the unburning end into the lock, using it as a fuse. "Get further back, this might not work, or it might work too good." She quickly ran to Amelia and they waited. It only took a few seconds, then there was a little explosion, the lock completely destroyed, the gate sprininging open. "Let's get out of here." She quickly mounted her frightened horse, then they rode out of the McCallister estate.

"Do you think anyone would have heard it?" Amelia asked as they galloped down the road, the horses shying nervously from time to time.

"Hopefully not, but we're far enough away from the house. They would think its only someone shooting a coyote." She looked up at the sky as a cloud covered the moon and was quite concerned to see that a storm was gathering. "I hope you know where we're going. It won't be good to get lost in this weather."

"No, your right there. But I know this country well. As long as no one stops us, we should be fine." Amelia replied as they continued down the dark road…

* * *

Bill sighed again as he went over all the possible suspects for Josie's kidnapping, but all of them were innocent of the crime. As he stood up from his desk, he decided to go and see if Colin had woken up yet, maybe then he could find out who took the girl. It had been nearly over a week since he'd been shot, but he still was unconscious. He walked out of the office and started across the road to the infirmary when Abigail came out of its door.

"Bill." Abigail ran over to him. "Colin's awake. He's asking to talk to you."

Bill was quite relived. "That's good news. Do you know what he wasn't to talk about?"

"No, he just says he needs to see you, that's all." Abigail replied as she walked through the door Bill opened for her, then she waited for him to close it.

"Good afternoon, Bill." Carson said from his desk. "You're here to see Colin, I'm guessing."

"Yes. Abigail told me he's awake."

"He is. I'll need you to be quick about talking to him though. He needs to rest. Before you go and see him, have you heard anything about Josie?"

"No. That's why its important for me to talk to him. If he saw the men who did it, then I might be able to get a description and match it up with the person who took her."

"Alright." Carson stood up. "This way please." He motioned for Bill and Abigail to follow him, and he lead them upstairs to Colin's room.

Bill was quite surprised to see Colin's condition, but he hid it from Carson and Abigail. Colin had lost so much weight from the infection he'd gotten from the gunshot wound and his eyes were sunken and his breathing shallow. Bill slowly walked over to him and sat down in the chair, trying to not disturb him as much as possible. "Colin, its Sheriff Avery. Abigail brought me here. She said you wanted to talk to me."

Colin's eyes fluttered open. "Bill." He said, quite strained as he spoke. "Josie's been taken."

"I know." Bill gently whispered. "I've been trying to find her. I was hoping you'd be able to help me. Can you remember what happened?"

Colin frowned as he tried to remember. "Josie went looking for worms for fishing bait. I stayed at the river while she went." He paused for a moment. "All was fine, then I heard Josie screaming for me. I ran up the riverbank and I saw Josie being held by a man on a horse. She yelled to me that he had a gun, then it all went black. I didn't have time to do anything."

Bill nodded, showing he understood, then he looked at Abigail for a moment who was standing beside him. "What did the man look like that had Josie?"

"It was McCallister. There was a group of men with him. I couldn't see their faces, they had them covered. I just knew it was him from his eyes. Josie was utterly terrified, and I couldn't do a thing to save her."

Bill could see Colin was quite upset about it. "Its okay Colin. I know you would have done your best to stop them. But you've helped me more than you know. You get some rest now, I'll take care of it." He stood up. "Come on, Abigail." He gently took her by the hand and led her out.

Carson saw them come out of the room, Abigail leaning heavily on Bill and looking quite pale. "Abigail, are you alright?"

"McCallister has Josie." Abigail couldn't hide her emotions from them, and a couple of tears slid down her cheeks. "I should have known. He said in a letter he would have his revenge."

Bill looked at Abigail. She never told him she'd gotten a letter from McCallister. "What letter?"

"He sent me one a couple of weeks after he left. There was no return address on the envelope, so I opened it up. All it said was, "I will get even with you. McCallister." I didn't know it would be Josie that he would use to do so. I'm sorry, Bill. I just thought he was trying to scare me, not do something stupid."

"You should have told me. We might have been able to stop him." He gently reprimanded.

"I know." Abigail paused for a moment. "Its all my fault. I should have just…" Her voice broke. "I don't know what I should have done."

* * *

Frank was walking down the road a little while later when he saw Bill leaving the mercantile. "Bill, wait up."

Bill turned around and waited for him to catch up. "Yes?"

"You seem in a hurry. Good news I hope."

"I may have a lead on Josie." He motioned to the Sheriff's Office. "Want to come for a cup of coffee?"

"Sure." Frank followed him over and gave Buddy a pat when they were inside. "That's great news if you have a lead on Josie."

"Not really." Bill poured the water into the kettle and sat it on the stove, then sat down behind his desk. "It couldn't be worse."

"Why?"

"Josie was kidnapped by McCallister." He handed him the note Abigail had only just given him. "He's out for revenge, and he's using her to do it."

"What?" Frank couldn't believe his ears. Abigail had filled him in on what had happened with McCallister in his absence. "How did you find that out?"

"Colin. He's awake and I just spoke to him. McCallister shot him after he tried to stop him from taking Josie."

"What are you going to do now then? If you know he has her, can you do anything about it?"

"I've just sent Rachel, Abigail's niece a telegram, asking where her husband might have taken Josie to. I've also sent a telegram to a judge I know in Cape Fullerton, asking for a warrant to arrest McCallister on the grounds of attempted murder and Josie's kidnapping. I just pray we find her in time."

* * *

The sun was just starting to come up when Josie and Amelia arrived at the cave. The horses were exhausted, galloping hard all night with heavy loads and both Amelia and Josie were spent from the long ride.

Josie groaned as she gave her horse a pat, then she dismounted. "I'm so relieved that we managed to get away. I'm glad I'm still not with McCallister, I'd be halfway to insane by now."

"I agree." Amelia dismounted, then grabbed a drink from her canteen. "But our troubles have only just begun." She sighed. "McCallister is sure to try and kill me if he can catch us. I know a lot of the bad things he's done, and it'll scare him knowing I can get him jailed for a lot of it."

"We're not going to give him the chance to hang us as horse thieves either." Josie began to un-tack the horse she'd ridden. "Unload these horses, and I'll send them in a different direction to us. McCallister and his men will follow the tracks and be led away from us."

"Are you crazy?" Amelia scoffed. "How on earth do you think we'll get away without horses?"

"On the way here, I saw a couple of mustangs. I've worked with them a lot, and believe me, they're better than anything McCallister's riding. I saw signs of a massive herd of them in the area. All I have to do is crease the horses, put tack on them, then get on them before they get up." She threw the bridle off a pack horse and onto the growing pile of things on the cave floor. "I ride the horse until its to tired to fight, then there we go. We have horses to ride."

Amelia raised her eyebrows. "Crease? What's that?"

"A man told me about how he creased a horse. There's a point on the horse's neck where if you shoot it, the horse will be knocked out momentarily. It doesn't hurt the horse either."

"Have you ever tried to do that before?"

"No." Josie admitted. "But I'm a good shot with both a pistol and a rifle. There's nothing to lose by trying it. If it doesn't work, I'll try something different." She vaulted up onto the back of the black mare she'd ridden on. "Are you about finished un-loading those horses?"

"Almost." Amelia pulled off the last pack, then turned to Josie. "Do you want their bridles off too?"

"Yes. I'll drive them in front of me. I've done a lot of this work back home." She replied as she tried to find a more comfortable spot on the rather bony horse because she was riding bareback.

"Alright. Your ready to go." Amelia said as she slipped the last halter off a brown gelding.

Josie moved her horse around the little group and herded them together, preventing them from running off before she was ready. "Don't leave the cave until I come back. I expect by now McCallister will be looking for us, so I want to send him in the opposite direction as fast as possible." She started the horses forward.

* * *

"Good luck and be careful."

"Ah, Mr. Morgan." McCallister said as the man's coach pulled to a stop outside the house. "Its good to see you again."

Morgan got out of his carriage. "What have you got for me this time?"

McCallister smirked. "A job, that I'll think you'll like. Josie Blackwell. Fifteen years old. Tan skin, tall, with light brown hair and eyes and she has lots of spirit." He spoke about her like the girl was a horse he was selling.

"You mean." Morgan figured it out. "She's temperamental."

"Yes. You're to take her to England. She can't stay in America, I don't wat any lose ends. You can do anything you like with her once she's yours, but she has to leave the country."

"How much do you want for her?" He got out his cheque book, ready to sign one for the girl.

Without hesitation, McCallister replied. "A thousand dollars."

"A thousand dollars? She must be good looking then, but I want to see her first before I sign anything."

"Certainly. Follow me." He led Morgan into the house and to his parlour. "Have a seat here, and I'll go and bring her down to meet you."

Morgan nodded as he sat down. "Alright."

McCallister chuckled to himself as he walked up the stairs to the attic where he'd locked Josie up in. When he got to the door, he noticed that the room was very quiet, and he quickly unlocked the door. As he opened the door to the room, he saw the destruction that Josie had left behind. The mattress was ripped open, it's stuffing spilt all over the floor. The cupboards had the door pulled off them, and she'd tore the legs off the tables and chair. The girl had smashed the pictures and clock, the glass littering the floor, and then had obviously escaped somehow through the window, for she wasn't in the room.

He growled as he realized that yet again the girl had outsmarted him, and he fairly flew down the stairs, three at a time in his unquenchable rage. He could not believe that she'd managed to escape again and then he noticed that Amelia was missing too from her room. He ran to the living room and stopped at the entrance. "You'd better come with me."

Morgan stood up, looking a little puzzled. "What's happened?"

"The girl got away." McCallister replied as he got himself and Morgan rifle from the cabinet, and ammunition. "Come on."

"What's the rifles for?" He asked as they hurried out of the house to the barn.

McCallister didn't answer his question right away. "Clarkson, Baxter, Dennis! Get horses saddled and get ready to ride. Amelia and Josie have escaped." He barked out his orders loudly. "You have ten minutes." He turned to Morgan. "The rifles for Amelia. She knows too much about my business, and I'm not about to let her have the chance to tell the world things I've done. The only way to control Josie is at the point of a gun, but she'll never stop getting away. She'll make sure I can't get her again, so its just best if I kill her too. That way no one will know what happened."

The sun was shining brightly by the time Josie felt she'd run the horses far enough away that McCallister couldn't find them. She kicked her horse into a gallop and ran the little herd as fast as they would go, then she slipped the bridle off the mare and vaulted off, rolling over to break her fall as the horses raced on.

Josie stood up and brushed herself off, then picked the bridle up and watched the horses gallop out of sight over a rise, satisfied that her work was done. She turned around and started the long hike back to where she'd left Amelia at the cave.

As she made her way back, she began to wish she'd gotten better shoes on. Sure, these boots were fine for a walk around Hope Valley and light work around her ranch, but the thin soles were no match for this kind of rough terrain. As a rock cut through the thin bottom of her shoe and cut her deeply into her foot, she grimaced again, but her determination kept her going on.

* * *

It was about noon that the inevitable happened. As she took a quick break to catch her breath, she looked around and saw that McCallister and his men were following the tracks of the horses and she tried to hide, but it was too late; they'd seen her.

"There she is!" McCallister yelled, pointing at Josie. "You can't get away from us now!" He spurred his horse into a gallop towards her, his men following at the same mad pace.

Josie made a cry of frustration and fear, then her adrenaline took the situation over. With a determined effort, she made a dash for a huge hill with a ton of rocks and bushes covering the sides and started the steep climb. In her frantic effort to get away, she ran through thorns, ducked under trees and scrambled over boulders, trying all the time to put distance between her and her pursuers. As she took a moment to quickly glance over her shoulder to see how far ahead she was, she saw the men stop their horses at the bottom of the hill and were getting out their guns.

With a yelp of pain as another rock cut her foot, she whirled around and ducked down behind a boulder to escape the hail of bullets that were now raining down around her. "God, get me out of here!" She yelled frantically as a bullet hit the boulder, chipping off a piece of rock that hit her. As she looked up at the mountain's summit, where she could get some more ground between her and them, she saw for the first time the huge grey thunderclouds that were now above her. A flash of lightning almost blinded her as it hit a tree, making it explode and she began to cry from fear, wanting nothing more than to get away from the men behind her and the storm above her.

As she took a quick glance down at the men from around the boulder she was behind, she saw that they still weren't giving up in their attempt to get her and had started up the path she had taken.

Josie knew it wouldn't be long before they reached her, and she knew she had to keep calm and keep moving. With a quick sprint, she left the boulder and kept traveling up, going higher and higher up the mountain side. The thunder was deafening her and the now pouring rain was slowing her progress considerably. She stopped for a few seconds behind the safety of another boulder to catch her breath, watching all the time for McCallister and his men who were still shooting at her when they thought they could get a hit.

The storm was growing worse, she could see it. The wind was howling, blowing the rain in her face and making it hard to see ahead of herself. The thunder made the ground vibrate as each clap got closer and closer and the lightning was lighting up the sky like a New Year's Eve firework show.

She realized she couldn't stay out in the open any longer, and as the rain lessoned for a split second, she thought she could see a cave a little up ahead. As she took another glance down at the men, she saw that they too had taken shelter under a ledge until the storm passed and she knew she needed to do the same. She stood up, still crouching over so the men would have a smaller target to hit and made a run for the cave. As she tried to duck a falling branch, her feet slipped out from underneath her and she fell down hard. She tried desperately to grab something to stop her from sliding down into a deep gully that had suddenly appeared in front of her, splitting the mountain in two. She grabbed at a tree, but missed, then she hit her head on a rock and for the third time in two weeks, she was knocked out cold.

* * *

Warmth. Dry clothes. Voices she couldn't make out. Then blackness. Moving. Hands touching her softly. Motion. Then slowly things began to sort themselves out. _I must be in heaven._ She thought. _But then why am I hurting so much?_ As she tried to concentrate on waking herself out of the darkness she was trapped in, she could hear the voice of Amelia mingled with the voice of a girl she didn't know. Yet, for some reason, she just couldn't gather enough energy to open her eyes and look around, so she tried to listen as she felt herself being carried, then laid down next to the blissful warmness of a fire.

"What happened?" Amelia asked as she ran to the girl carrying Josie from her horse.

The girl didn't speech until she'd put the Josie down next to the fire and covered her in blankets, then she turned to Amelia. "White girl chased by men. Men shoot. Girl tries to get away. Then big storm. Wind, rain, thunder. Scare men off. Girl fall in ditch. Me see. Me go to girl. Take to me cave. Dry her. Give clothes. Bring her here." The girl pointed towards herself. "Me Snow Maiden."

Amelia put another log on the fire and sat next to Josie. "I'm Amelia, the girl you found is Josie. How did you know to bring her here to me?"

"Me watch you. Saw you come here. See Josie go. Me followed her." Snow Maiden made a motion with her hand, and her horse trotted over to her at the fire. "Good Spirit."

"I can't thank you enough for helping her." She said with emotion. "She would have died without your help."

Snow Maiden nodded, her face devoid of expression. "It fine." She looked out of the cave at the rain that was still falling. "Not safe here. Men come back. They find you. Me take you to my place. They no find."

"When?"

"Tonight. We move. Me have horses. Me take Josie. You follow." She motioned to the pile of supplies on the floor. "Bring. We need. Leave nothing. They no need to find things here. They know you been here. Do not worry. You safe soon.

* * *

It was about three days later that Josie finally gathered enough strength to open her eyes. The tantalizing smell of a chicken cooking over the fire had tempted her to wake from her sleep. As she opened her eyes, she could see that she was in a cave different from the one that Amelia had had stayed back in. For a moment, the terrifying thought that McCallister had caught her again entered her mind, but she quickly dismissed it when she realised that she hadn't heard his voice. _How on earth did I get here?_ She wondered. _What happened?_

As Josie sat up to get a better look of her surroundings, she saw that she was dressed in Indian clothing and was wrapped up in a warm buffalo robe. _Who does all this belong to?_ She pondered the question for a few minutes, then she heard footsteps coming into the cave and an Indian girl appeared from the shadows.

The girl saw that Josie was awake and walked over to her. "Josie tired. Josie sick. Sleep three suns." Snow maiden sat down beside her. "Better now?"

"Yes, thankyou." Josie replied, a little bewildered. "Where am i? Who are you? Where's Amelia?"

"Me Snow Maiden." She answered as she began to unwrap the bandages from around Josie's feet, looking at the cuts that were healing nicely. "Milly out, getting wood. Me stay with you. You safe here. Men no find. Far away from them."

"How did you find me?" She asked as she stretched out her arms, then she yelped a little with surprise. "I forgot about my back."

"You fell in gully. I take you and Milly here to safe place. You hurt bad. How it happen?"

"Yes." Amelia replied as she returned with an arm full off wood. "What happened? You look like you got attacked by a mountain lion."

"McCallister happened." Josie snapped as her back began to hurt again, then she saw the look on their faces. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get cranky at you." She apologized, then she took a deep breath, thinking of a condensed version of what happened to tell them. "McCallister took me from my home town on a train. We arrived in Helena and stayed at a hotel. That night I made my attempt to get away, but he caught me, only after he knocked me out. When I came too, he whipped and beat me for making the attempt, and that's why my back's in the mess its in now. As for my feet, those shoes were better suited for a dance floor than the terrain I was running over."

Amelia looked at Josie with sympathy. "I can imagine what he'd done to you. I saw it happen time and again with the girls he got. McCallister is involved with a kidnapping ring. They take young, beautiful girls and take them to other countries, then sell them as brides. I was lucky enough to be used as a servant, but I saw what happened to the unlucky ones. You were lucky not to have their fate as yours right now. You should have told me you were injured, I would have brought things along to clean your wounds."

Josie looked a little deflated. "I'm sorry. Your right. I should have told you. I was just worried that if you knew, you might not help me because you thought I'd slow you down."

"I'd never do that." Amelia was a little shocked. "I helped a few other girls escape, but McCallister caught them again. I only just managed to cover my tracks so that he didn't know I'd done it."

"We were very lucky." She went silent for a few moments. "Where are we anyway?"

"We're about ten miles out of Cheyenne in Wyoming. McCallister is far behind us now. He wont have the chance to catch us again." Amelia explained as she put another log onto the fire.

Josie turned back to Snow Maiden. "How long do you think it will take for my wounds to heal?"

"They heal well. Few more days." Snow Maiden handed Josie a pair of moccasins. "You wear until feet heal. You can ride, no?"

"I can ride, with a little difficulty, but I can put up with it. The thing is, we don't have horses."

"Me have horses. You ride them. Where we go to?"

Josie looked at Amelia. "Do you have family you can go to?"

"No." Amelia hung her head. "I have no family. I was a servant for McCallister because my mother died, and she was in debt to him. I had no where else to go, and I had to pay off the debt. I don't know where I can go."

"What about you Snow Maiden?"

"Trible killed by white man. Me only one left. Me live in woods for lots of moons. And you?"

"I too have hardly any blood family left, except for my two sisters. My eldest sister is actually in Denver, visiting my other sister and her fiancé, but there is no way I'm going back near there ever again. I might not be so lucky next time. My home town is Hope Valley, up in Canada. The town is my family now. I want to get back there as soon as possible. I need to get word to my adopted mother that I'm alive. She would be worried sick about me by now."

Amelia got an idea. "Would it be okay if I accompany you there? I don't have anywhere else to go. I can get a job as a maid with one of the family's."

"I don't mind." Josie reassured. "I'd be glad for you to come with me. After all, I owe you everything for helping me escape, and my mother, Abigail, will welcome you with open arms. What about you, Snow Maiden? Would you like to come with us aswell?"

"I'm Indian." Snow Maiden said with a hint of hesitation. "They no want me in town. Me get picked on. They take advantage of Indian girls. Me saw it happen to sister by soldier on reservation."

"That wouldn't happen, I can assure you. Not in Hope Valley. But in towns we pass through, your right. The men could try to take advantage of us. We will need to have the upmost caution and watch each other's backs. No offence to you, Snow Maiden, but it might be best if you and I change into "White Man's Dress. We don't need to draw attention to ourselves by standing out."

"Me agree." Snow Maiden said as she nodded. "We need to be careful. Where we go first?"

Josie quickly came up with a rough plan. "We'll go into Cheyenne and send a wire to Abigail and the sheriff of the town, then go from there."

* * *

 **See that little box underneath this chapter? See it say, Post Review here? See it now? See it? Do you see it?I'd very much appreciate for some construcive comments for my story! Please!**


	16. Back Story 13

**Back Story 13**

* * *

As the three girls rode into town the next morning, they were quite surprised to see just what kind of town it was. The main street was made up of a mixture of saloons, and other less desirable establishments that entertained the men. Drunken shouts mingled with the sound of the piano's music that flowed out of the saloons and into the street. Women who weren't exactly ladies flirted with the men, and a couple of streets over, six men were involved in a brawl in the tent camp.

Josie pulled her horse to a stop next to a watering trough and gave him a drink, surveying the town carefully with her eyes. She'd never been to a town this bad before, oh, she'd read about them in her books, Hope Valley had shielded her from the immorality of a town like this. "Can you see a store, or a telegraph office?" She asked the girls as she kept an eye on a man who appeared to be looking for a fight.

Snow Maiden nodded. "Store there. Me stay with Milly. Watch horses."

Josie handed them a gun each, then made sure that her pistol was in its holster on her side correctly. "I know you both know how to use these. Make sure that no one takes off with the horses. I won't be long. Watch carefully, I don't like the people in this town." She grabbed a coin from the money Amelia had stolen, then walked across the street to the store. As she tried to enter the door, which was hanging off its hinges, a man smelling strongly of alcohol and tobacco stopped her in her tracks.

"Give me a kiss, pretty girl." He said as he held strongly onto Josie's arms and tried to kiss her, but she turned away.

She squirmed hard, trying to reach her gun hidden in her skirt so that she could defend herself, but his hold prevented her from doing that. The overwhelming smell of the whisky he'd consumed was making her eyes water and almost retch, but still the man didn't let her go. As he leant down to try to kiss her again, Josie managed to get an arm free and slap his face as hard as she possibly could.

A roar of laughter arose from behind her, the twenty or so men that had gathered to watch the spectacle all making fun of them, then they began to make all matter of insulting and degrading comments to them.

"Kiss her, Harry!"

"Show her whose boss!"

"Get a room!" Another one yelled out, then laughed at his own joke.

Harry reached down at Josie's jacket, intending to make a spectacle of the girl, but Josie had other plans. In the split second that he took to try and do it, she pulled off the stunt Bill had taught her in case a man ever tried to assault her. As quick as she could, she kneed the man in his groin, then as he doubled over, slammed his head down into her knee, it giving her the time the time she needed to make her escape. She ran, not looking back to see what had happened.

"Quick." She shouted to the girls who were still watering the horses as a couple of men began to chase her. "Mount up."

Amelia and Snow Maiden spun around and saw what was happening and lost no time in jumping onto their horses, throwing Josie the reins for her mount and she got on just as one of the men tried to grab her.

As the girls turned to gallop off, Josie saw that the men had tried a different tactic, and were now forming a ring around them, trapping them in. A sea of insults poured from their mouths, a language that Josie and the girls had never heard before, their yelling scaring the horses and they began to shy and dance.

Snow Maiden's buckskin stallion, Spirit, began to snort as the circle began to get smaller as the men approached. Then, with an angry bellow and a roar, he reared and charged at the man in front of him, almost unseating his rider in his outburst. Snow Maiden dug her heels into the horse's side, then urged him on with her hands. She turned to look back at the other two, who were fighting their horses from completely freaking out at the terrible noise the crowd was making. "Come! Hurry!" She yelled as Spirit and the three pack horses shot through the ring at a bolt.

Amelia yanked her horses head up to stop it bucking and slapped it as hard as she could with the reins. The horse got the idea and galloped forward, quickly catching up to Snow Maiden and the pack horses.

The crown regrouped around Josie, who was trying her best to get her horse under control. They only really wanted her, not her friends. Harry ran in from the circle, grabbing Josie's leg and trying to pull her off the horse. "Look's like I've got you now." He snarled as he felt her starting to slide.

"Oh, no, you don't." Josie yanked her leg back and promptly sent him flying from a kick in the face. Then as she saw a break in the circle, she saw a man getting out a pistol and pull the hammer back. Quick as a flash, she grabbed her own pistol and fired, the bullet slamming into the man's thigh. Now she realized this was life or death, it terrifying her how violent this mob was becoming.

"Yah, yah, yah!" She screamed as she dug her spurred heels into the horse's flanks, hoping that the horse would bolt. He did. With an angry bellow, the stallion charged forward, tramping three men as they tried to stop her. Even before they had gone ten strides, Josie heard and felt a bullet whiz past her head and with another kick, asked the horse for even more speed. Gun in hand, she turned and fired, this time hitting the would-be-murderer full in the chest.

Urging her horse on, she followed Amelia and Snow Maiden's tracks to where she found them, a little up ahead on a rise. She took a quick glance at the town and saw that a number of men were mounting their horses. Galloping past the tow girls, she yelled back over her shoulder. "Come on! Hurry!"

Amelia and Snow Maiden saw the mass of riders coming out of the town and wheeled their horses around, quickly following Josie's lead. They galloped the horses at break-neck speed until they were sure that they could rest for a quick drink at a stream they were about to cross. As the horses guzzled down a few sips, Josie turned to the girls as they all caught their breath.

"We." She panted. "Are never going back into any town again!"

* * *

Abigail was working at her desk in the Mayor's office when the door opened, and Bill walked in, holding a basket in is hand.

"You forgot your lunch. Again." He chuckled as he put the basket down onto a clear spot on the desk. "Your turning this into a bit of a habit, me having to bring it."

"Very funny." Abigail teased as she put aside her work. "I don't remember asking you to bring it. Since you're here, and you brought my lunch, would you like to join me? Seeing as you did bring it."

"That's the nest offer I've had all day." Bill said as he sat down and took out a sandwich from the basket. "I even packed extra, just waiting for you to ask."

Abigail gave a little chuckle, then she bowed her head and said a quiet blessing over her food, then took a bite from the apple. "Where did you get these? It's really good?"

"Matt dropped them by the café. They had more then they could use, so they gave some out to everyone. It's from Josie's orchard." Bill replied, then he saw the look on Abigail's face. "Sorry, Abigail."

"Its fine, Bill." Abigail hid how she really was feeling from him. "Still no word, I'm guessing?"

"No." he was about to say more when the door opened, and Mr. Yost walked in, holding a couple of pieces of paper.

"Bill, telegrams for you." He said as he handed them to him.

"Thanks, Ned." He began to read them straight away, ignoring both Ned and Abigail. Ned got the idea that he wasn't needed and left as quickly as he had come.

"Good news, I hope." Abigail said as she tried to read Bill's expression, wondering what they were about.

"Good news for me. Not so for McCallister." He passed her the first telegram. "Now, all I have to do is find him."

Abigail began to read the telegram.

 _MAGISTRATE ROBERTS_

 _CAPE FULLERTON_

 _PERMISSION GRANTED. (stop) ARREST MCCALLISTER ON GROUNDS OF KIDNAPPING AND ATTEMPTED MURDER. (stop) PICK UP WARRANT FOR ARREST FROM ME. (stop) NOTIFY ME OF HIS ARREST (stop) GOOD LUCK (stop)_

Abigail looked up. "What's the second telegram?"

"Its from Rachel. I contacted her to ask where McCallister might have taken Josie. It's a good lead. Actually, my only lead at the moment." He admitted as he handed the other paper to Abigail.

 _RACHEL MCCALLISTER_

 _VANCOUVER_

 _SO SORRY TO HEAR THIS HAS HAPPENED (stop) PLEASE GIVE ABIGAIL MY SYPMATIIES (stop) MCCALLISTER HAS MANY PROPERTIES (stop) GOOD SOURCE SAYS HE IS IN COLORADO (stop) HE HAS AN ESTATE IN DENVER (stop) HE WILL BE THERE FOR ANOTHER TWO WEEKS (stop) DON'T KNOW WHERE JOSIE IS (stop) MUST BE HIDDEN ON RANCH (stop) BE CAREFULL (stop) MCCALLISTER WILL TRY ANYTHING_

"When do you leave?" Abigail handed him back the telegrams.

"Tomorrow on the stage. I'll take Jay with me." Bill stood up. "I'll find her Abigail. I promise."

"I know you will, Bill. If I don't see you before you leave." She got out of her chair and walked around the table to him. "This will do as good-bye." She said as she gave him a hug.

Bill was quite surprised, but he returned the hug. "I need to go now, Abigail. I'll try and get word back to you as soon as I can." He said as he let her go.

Abigail grabbed his hands and looked into his eyes. "Stay safe, Bill. I'll be praying for all of you."

"I will, Abigail." He held on to her hands for a couple more moments, then let go and turned to the door to leave. "I'll leave Luke and Frank in chance of the town, as acting Sheriff's. If you find out anything else, anything, get them to contact me."

Abigail nodded. "Yes, I will. Thank you for doing this."

"Oh, and one more thing."

"Yes?"

"Can you get Cody to feed Buddy for me? I'd take him with me but its to far for him to travel."

"Sure. Thanks again for everything you've done."

Bill acknowledged her gratitude with a nod, then opened the door and walked out.

* * *

McCallister was sitting down to eat his breakfast the next day when his maid walked in. "McCallister, your paper is here."

McCallister took it out of her hand. "Thank you, Viva. You are excused." He paid her no more attention as he sat back in the chair and unfolded the paper to read. As he read the front page, an article caught his eye. It was asking for information regarding a girl who had killed a man in Cheyenne, and it fit Josie's description. With a small smirk, he picked up his cup of coffee and planned his next move….

* * *

It was a few days later when the train traveling to Denver finally pulled to a stop at its station. As Bill and Jay stepped off the train, they looked at all the people at the station, feeling rather out of place. Jay was about to walk to get his luggage when Bill stopped him by putting his hand on his shoulder.

"Jay, look." He whispered as he pointed with his eyes towards a man on a brown horse that was standing just next to the side of the platform. "Its Clarkson. The driver that brought McCallister to Hope Valley."

Jay took a quick glance towards the man. "By golly, your right." He exclaimed with surprise. "I wonder what he's doing here. What do we do?"

"We're not going to let him see us. That's what we're going to do." Bill quickly led Jay into the station. "If he knows we're here, he might be able to get word to McCallister, and warn him. Possibly endangering Josie more."

Jay nodded, agreeing with him. "Your right there. He could hide her further away or worse." He didn't need to verbalize the unspoken worry they both had for Josie. "Have you got a plan?"

"Yes, I have."

"Mr. McCallister is currently in a meeting, but if you would like to wait, your welcome to sit in the library." The maid told the as she led them through the house. Bill's plan of posing as business men had worked like a charm. "What were your names, again?"

"Jack Wagner, and he's Dick Rutherford." Bill motioned towards Jay.

"Jack Wagner, Dick Rutherford. Got it. Make yourselves at home, gentlemen. McCallister will be along shortly." She walked out of the room and closed the door.

Jay turned to Bill after she'd left. "Dick Rutherford? That's the best you could do?" He teased. "Why not Napoléon Bonaparte or Joe Blow or something else?"

Bill tapped Jay on the shoulder, a small smirk on his face. "It was what I came up with at short notice. Your objection to my choice of names is duly noted." He looked around the room, looking for a book to read while they waited for McCallister, when the vase caught his eye. He walked over to it and picked it up. "Jay, pssst."

Jay moved over to him. "What?"

"Josie's been in here." Bill said as he untied the ribbon from around the vase's neck, then as he put it into his pocket and placed the vase back on the table, he saw the letter sitting in the "Send" box and picked it up to.

"How can you tell?"

Bill didn't answer straight away, instead he put the letter into another pocket and pulled out a dusty hair ribbon, matching it with the one he'd just found. "These." He handed them to Jay. "I found this the day she went missing in the forest. The one off the vase is exactly the same."

"So?" Jay still didn't get it. "Lots of vases are decorated with ribbon."

"Jay, there are only six of these in existence. I made them as a set for Josie's birthday. It was a little hobby of mine when I was a kid to make pocket money by selling them to the girls at school. Josie must have been in this room for it to get there." He put both ribbons into his pocket, then made sure that he couldn't hear McCallister coming before he pulled out the letter. "This was never sent, of course. I'm guessing that the box is for decoration only." He ran his fingers over the writing. "But this is Josie's handwriting."

Jay nodded. "It is. Come on, open it up."

Bill tore the envelope open and pulled out the little note it contained then read it.

"What does it say?"

"Exactly eight words. _Abigail, I'm alive. McCallister has me in Denver._ Josie must have put it there hoping to get word back to us." Then as he was about to show it to Jay, he heard McCallister coming and quickly shoved it into his pocket.

McCallister entered the room, his face changing to an expression of disgust when he saw who was inside. "You." He looked at Bill, then Jay. "I never thought I'd see you two again."

Bill returned the stare. "This isn't a social call, McCallister, but I'm sure you gathered that." It was taking everything he had to control his temper, and as he saw the look in McCallister's eyes, he knew that the man wouldn't go down without a fight. "I'll make this brief. You're under arrest." He walked up to the man. "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way." He quickly kicked the door behind him shut so that the man couldn't escape.

McCallister stood stock still for a moment, then as Bill went for his handcuffs, he took his chance. He took a swing at Bill, but Bill saw it coming and ducked, then he tackled McCallister to the ground, landing a few choice punches on his face as he knocked him down.

"I'm in debt to you, McCallister. For a moment there I thought you were going to make it easy, but I see that you had other ideas." He had McCallister pinned on the ground under him. "Jay, throw me your handcuffs." His companion pulled out his set and threw them to him, and Bill promptly cuffed him, then stood up and pulled McCallister to a stand by his shirt. "Get on that chair. Now." He motioned to the one next to Jay. "You and I need to have a little talk. Jay here is my witness."

McCallister took his cue and sat down, his pride in smithereens. "You have no right to come here into my own house and assault me. Where are your orders for my arrest? Some unwarranted accusation made by a stupid, idiot of a mayor, whining woman?"

"I wouldn't speak of Abigail like that, if you know what's good for you." Bill gave him the look that showed he meant business, then he pulled out the warrant he had obtained from the Magistrate in Cape Fullerton on his way through and showed it to McCallister. "Now. I have Jay here as my witness. Anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law, or anywhere else for that matter."

"You'll hear from my lawyers about this." McCallister snarled as he looked at the warrant, signed and officiated by Magistrate Roberts, then he turned to Bill, his expression clearly showing his hatred for him. "Kidnapping, attempted murder? Those are outlandish accusations. Where's your proof? All you have is hearsay, not solid evidence. I'll have you in trouble for false arrest, and when I'm finished with you." He didn't finish the sentence as Jay walked over to Bill and interrupted him.

"Colin McGregor is still alive, much unluckily for you. He gave enough evidence for the Magistrate to have you arrested. His testimony is enough to get you in prison to serve a nice jail time, based on it alone." He saw McCallister reaching into his coat for a gun, even though he was handcuffed, and Jay yanked it out of his hand before he had the chance to even cock the weapon. "I wouldn't try anything else stupid, McCallister." He threatened. "It makes no difference to me to watch you hang or put a bullet through you right now."

Bill leant down close to McCallister. "Now, lets get down to business." He said in the tone that no one dared mess with, then he sat down. "Where is the mayor's daughter, Josephine?"

"Josephine?" McCallister chuckled. "I don't know."

Bill looked at Jay, then back at McCallister. "I found this in this room." He showed him the ribbons and the note. "They're from Josie. Now." He said in a way that showed McCallister that he was serious. "Where is she?"


	17. Back Story 14

_**Back Story 14**_

 _ **Yes! Two chapters in one day! I have to say, the season five finale, was the best episode that i've ever seen! Yes, it was sad, but it also showed hope... For those of you say you are done with the show, you need to remember that even though Daniel has left the show, there is so much more to Hope Valley's story, and the people in it...**_

 _ **Anyway, lets get into it**_

* * *

 _TO:_

 _ABIGAIL STANTON_

 _HOPE VALLEY_

 _DEAR ABIGAIL (stop) WE ARRIVED IN DENVER (stop) FOUND MCCALLISTER (stop) HE IS NOW UNDER STATE ARREST (stop) WILL BE TRANSFERRED TO CALGARY TO STAND TRIAL NEXT MONTH (stop) HAVE NOT FOUND JOSIE (stop) BUT SHE HAS BEEN HERE (stop) WE WILL SEARCH FOR A FEW MORE DAYS (stop) BUT WILL NEED TO RETURN THEN (stop) TALK WHEN I GET BACK_

Abigail sighed as she laid the telegram back down on the table after she had read it. The news was bitter-sweet. She was glad that McCallister was arrested, and would be facing the music for his crimes, but at the same time was sad that Josie still had not been found. As she sat and was deep in thought, she heard the door open and looked up to see Frank enter.

"Its very windy out there today." Frank commented, then he saw Abigail's expression and sat down at the table across from her. "You okay?"

"Yes." Abigail nodded. "I'm fine. I just got word from Bill. They've arrested McCallister and he will stand trial next month."

"Then." Frank asked gently. "Why have you been crying?"

"They still haven't found Josie. They're going to come back without her." Abigail wiped her eyes. "I must have been hoping for a miracle. Josie's gone. There's nothing more to it. McCallister has won, Rachel said he always does."

"No." Frank took Abigail's hands in his. "He has not won. Not until you let him. And I'm not going to let you do that. McCallister will pay for his crimes, like he deserves."

"I know." Abigail sighed. "I'm just so tiered of being strong, of convincing myself everything is okay, when its not. Putting on a smile when no one sees how much I'm hurting inside, no one caring."

"I see it. And I care." He looked into Abigail's eyes. "You have to have faith. Until there is evidence that Josie is gone, you need to hold onto the belief that she's alive and will one day come back to you."

"Your right." She nodded. "I'm trying to. But its so hard. I'm so worn out. I don't think I can go on like this."

"You can. You can come through this." He encouraged. "God is watching her, and where ever she is, she knows that you love her." He suddenly got an idea that he thought might help to comfort her. "Tonight, I want you to do me a favour."

"What?"

"When it's dark, I want you to go out and look at the moon. It's the same moon that Josie will be watching, and I can guarantee that she's thinking of you. When ever you get sad, remember that no matter where she is, she is never far away when she lives in your heart."

Abigail looked at him with gratitude. "That was what I needed to hear today."

Frank nodded, then they sat silent for a few minutes, gaining strength from each other, then he spoke. "I'm glad that it helped you, Abigail." He knew that he couldn't tell her right now what he'd come for, that he had to leave again, so he decided to save that for another time.

* * *

"Do you think this is a good place to camp for the night?" Amelia asked as they stopped their horses on a hill overlooking a green, grassy valley with a stream running through it, a perfect picture of peace and harmony.

Josie looked at Snow Maiden. "What do you think? We can get water at that little creek the horses can get a good belly-full of grass tonight and we can finally snatch some sleep. Four days on the run has taken its toll on us, and the horses."

Snow Maiden nodded as she came to her own conclusions about the spot. "Good place. Horses need rest. We need rest. We all tired."

"Yes." Josie agreed as she patted her horse, who was still puffing a little from their last gallop. "We're lucky to have outsmarted that posse. I really didn't mean to kill that man, but I wasn't going to let us be used either. I only wanted to get away without getting myself killed, dying is not on the cards for me, especially not like that." She dismounted her horse and took a drink from the canteen, savouring the last drops of water. "I didn't realize that town was like that. We're lucky to have gotten out of there, thanks to the horses. Those men's intentions weren't exactly honourable."

"Spirit no let bad men hurt me." Snow Maiden said as she gave the buckskin stallion an affection pat, then she noticed his pricked ears, and strong concentration on something way off in the distance. "What you worried about, boy?"

Josie horse started to snort, then he began to wheel around and try to get loose, setting off the pack horses. "Amelia, grab the horses line before they take off!" She yelled as she struggled to control the stallion, and not get trampled. Then, as the horse spun around, she grabbed his mane and sprung up onto his back.

Amelia worked quickly, tying the pack horses together to a tree and began to settle them down. "What do you think set them off?"

"I don't know." Josie replied as her horse reared. Something was wrong, majorly wrong. "But I intend to find out."

"Look! There!" Snow Maiden pointed town to the forest in the valley. "Horse stampede."

Josie looked down where Snow Maiden was pointing as her horse stood still for a few seconds, then she realized what was happening. A huge herd of horses were being chased by a group of men towards a cliff. Her horse lover instincts kicked in, her common sense leaving her. "Stay here with the horses." She yelled to the girls as she kicked her horse into a gallop down the slop to head off the horses.

Amelia was shocked. "Josie, don't be crazy!" She yelled after her, but Josie ignored her and spurred the horse on harder.

Josie un-hooked her deer skin whip she'd made a week ago for something to do at night to keep her awake during her watch and began to crack it for all she was worth, trying to turn the horses away from the cliff; the men who were chasing the horses stopping in confusion to her interruption of their proceedings.

As they got closer to the cliff, she realised her horse couldn't keep up with the herd and was tiering quickly. She thought desperately for an idea, and as a palomino stallion ran up close beside her, she quickly did one of the tricks she had used before and quickly vaulted from her horse onto the mustang, grabbing a huge handful of his thick, long mane to hold onto and steer him, then she continued to crack her whip to turn the herd around.

Suddenly, she saw that she was at the head of the herd, with only a few feet between her and certain death. _Your so stupid!_ Quickly flashed through her mind, then her instincts kicked in. Pulling as hard as she could on the horse's mane, she managed to pull him to a stop and turn him around to face the oncoming herd, cracking her whip loudly. As she cracked the whip at the horses, she fought to stay on the horse as the stallion reared and bellowed his commands for them to stop.

The horses in front slid to a stop, the ones behind crashing into them, then stopping themselves, puffing and painting from their run to almost death. The stallion underneath Josie finally stood still, quivering and sweeting from fear, soaking Josie's legs, but she didn't care. "Easy boy, easy." She whispered as she began to stroke his shoulder, then she saw the men who had been chasing them riding towards the herd and to her, this time a lot more slowly.

Quickly she got her whip going again and moved the horses away from the edge of the cliff, her heart still in her mouth. _That could have ended sooooooo badly. Don't you ever do anything like that again, Josephine May Blackwell._ She told herself, then as the horses were far enough away from the danger, her anger took place over her fright. _Who on earth do they think they are? Trying to run horses like that to their deaths._ It was time for her second task.

Guiding the stallion with her hands and feet, she rode towards the men, then pulled him to a stop when she thought she was close enough, the stallion rearing in protest. She couldn't hold back her anger any more as she looked at the men. "Right." She said, rather loudly, making her point clear, her hand resting on her pistol in case things got ugly. "Who's in charge of this outrageous event that just nearly happened?"

"I am." A man wearing a Stetson with brown eyes rode forward. He looked to be about twenty, and he was clearly smitten with Josie. _She's gorgeous._ He thought as he looked at her long hair, then her brown eyes that were flashing with anger, then added to his statement. _And stupid. And angry._ But he shook himself from his thoughts and stared at her. "And who are you to stop me?"

Josie meet his gaze with a look that silenced him. "I'm Josephine Blackwell. I own the Langara stud up in Hope Valley, British Columbia, Canada." Her anger began to cool, and she remembered her manners. "Who am I addressing?"

"Ross Haggin. Now owner of the Lazy B since my father passed. Biggest ranch in Wyoming. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Blackwell."

Josie nodded. "My sympathies for your father." She looked at the horses and noticed Snow Maiden catching her horse. "And the point of running these horses to their death, was?"

Ross turned a little red from embarrassment. This woman could certainly hold her own. "Their mustangs. Wild horses. Their a nuisance. Theirs's too many of them. Come winter, my cattle will starve because they've eaten all the feed. We've had to resort to extreme measures to control their numbers."

"Extreme measures?" Josie didn't like the sound of that.

"Poisoning them with arsenic. Shooting them and cliff stampedes, like what we were just planning to do. Theirs's just so many that we're over run by them."

Josie looked at the hundred and fifty so horses that were now peacefully grazing, oblivious to the fact that their fate was being seeled this instant. Then she made up her mind. No horses should have to be treated like that. "I can take this bunch of horses off your hands. In Canada, we're actually having a shortage of horses for everyone to use. The Mounted Police have brought a lot of horses to use in the fight against the gangs in the Northern Territories and now some people don't have any horses at all, which will be a big problem come spring ploughing. It would be better for the horses for me to take them, then to be run over a cliff to their deaths."

Ross stroked his chin with his hand as he thought about the young ladies' proposal. "How would you transport them to your ranch? Its a long way from here to up there."

"I have two companions up there." Josie pointed up to Amelia and Snow Maiden. "They will help me move them. I'm used to moving up to two hundred horses by myself. Now, so that no misunderstanding can occur with me moving these horses, can you write up a document stating that these horses have been given to me by you? In case that someone should accuse me of steeling them, I have proof that I haven't."

"I'll be happy to do that for you, Miss Blackwell. My camp is a few miles west of here. Your welcome to come back and have dinner with us."

"Thankyou for your offer, but I must decline. It would be best for me to stay with my companions and help them with the horses. If it is alright with you, we'll camp here tonight with the horses, and in the morning, perhaps you could come back with the note?"

"Certainly, Miss Blackwell. Until tomorrow then." Mr. Haggin tipped his hat, then he turned his horse around and he and his men left.

Josie watched them leave as she ran her fingers through the horse's long mane, then she heard Amelia and Snow Maiden ride up behind her.

"What was that all about?" Amelia asked as she pulled her horse to a stop next to Josie.

"That was the man who owns this land. Mr. Haggin." Josie explained as she calmed the horse, who was starting to snort again.

"I might add, that was rather stupid of you. What you just did then. That would have been nice, having to explain to your mother that you got yourself killed stopping a bunch of horses."

"I know. I know. I won't do it again." She apologized. "I know it was stupid, and trust me, it won't happen again."

"Your right. You won't. You might be the trail leader because your more experienced than I am, but I am an adult and you're not. Remember that." Amelia scolded, then she looked at the horses. "So, what's going to happen to them?"

Josie sighed. "I've just gotten myself into trouble. Apparently, there are too many wild horses around here, so they've had to start mass killing them off. And so, I intervened."

"Oh, this is going to be good." Amelia sat back in the saddle and looked at Josie. "And how did you do that?"

"I said that we would take them away from here. To Hope Valley, actually."

Amelia and Snow Maiden both looked at Josie in disbelief. "What?"

"Yep. So now we are going to be taking them with us."

"Oh boy." Amelia groaned. "And just how do you think we're going to do that?"

"Like any other horse drive, except instead of men doing it, its us."

"You have got to be kidding me."

"Nope. I gave him my word that I was taking them, and he's going to write up a statement saying that he has given them to me, in case someone should say we stole them."

"Well, thank heavens you thought of that." Amelia still couldn't believe what Josie was instigating. "Trust me, this has not been exactly your smartest move this week."

"I must be losing my memory, because I don't recall asking for your opinion." Josie sassed back. "You might be older, but you're not my mother or father. I can make my own decision thankyou very much. If you're not happy with it, that's your problem, but I'm taking these horses with us."

Amelia sighed. "I'm sorry Josie. I shouldn't have gotten mad like that with you. Its just…" Her voice trailed off."

"I'm sorry, too Amelia. I should have kept quiet." Josie looked at the horses. "Do you want me to tell Mr. Haggin that we'll have to leave the horses behind?"

"No, no, its fine. We will take them back with us. But in future, until we get back to Hope Valley, can you please ask me first before you decide anything?"

"Alright, I will."

Snow Maiden had been watching the horses while the two girls had had their little argument, but then she butted in. "Why he want so many horses dead?"

"There's too many of them. His cattle will starve if they don't get rid of them. I don't agree with his methods, but he's in a hard place." Josie explained as they began to ride back to camp. "Hello, boy." She said to the bay horse as she stopped the palomino next to him. "Sorry about that little occurrence. You must have been wondering what on earth happened when I wasn't on your back anymore."

"Luckily Snow Maiden caught him after you swapped horses. Nice trick by the way, but I wouldn't recommend doing it to many times." Amelia comment as she dismounted.

"Oh, I do it all the time. I compete in the Calgary rodeo. It's my signature move. I love doing it, anyway, lets get a fire going, I'm half starved."

* * *

The next morning Mr. Haggin came back as he promised, this time with the document for Josie. Josie saw him coming and rode the palomino down to meet him.

"I trust you have had a good night's rest?" Ross commented as he dismounted.

Josie nodded as she also got off. "Yes. The horses have rested as well, so we're anxious to be on our way."

"I won't keep you long then, Miss Blackwell. I can't help asking though, would you like it if a couple of my men accompany you, to make sure you get to Hope Valley safety."

"Thank you for you concern, but we will manage."

"Alright then." He pulled a cloth bag from off his saddle. "I have some things for you. Extra supplies. Flour, coffee, beef jerky, canned goods." He said as he handed it to her.

"My, its heavy." Josie commented as she put the bag onto the horse's withers. "You didn't have to do this for us."

"It was no problem. Just extra thanks for helping me with a major dilemma. I've drawn you up a map of the best route to your town, as well as the letter about me giving the horses to you." He gave her the papers he was holding and a leather pouch. "This is waterproof, so keep them in there and they won't get damaged." He patted his horse, then mounted again.

"Thank you, Mr. Higgins. Just one more question though. This horse has a brand on him. Does he belong to you?"

Ross smiled. "Yes, he does, well, did. My father brought him, but no one could get near enough to him except him. He got out last year and we couldn't catch him. He's got spirit, that one."

"Would you like him back?"

"No, you keep him. He seems to like you better than me." He chuckled as he watched the horse nudge Josie with his nose. "I need to go now, Miss Blackwell. Perhaps we might see each other again one day."

Josie nodded as she vaulted into the horse's saddle. "Perhaps we might, if you ever come to Calgary for the horse carnival."

"I'll keep that in mind. Godspeed and have a safe journey, Miss Blackwell." He tipped his hat at her, then turned his horse around and rode off in the direction he'd come from.

Josie wheeled her horse around and cantered back to where Amelia and Snow Maiden were waiting, un-hooking her whip from the saddle. "Right, let's move them out."

* * *

Abigail was waiting at the coach drop off point for Bill and Jay's return when Frank walked over to her. "How are you holding up?"

"I've had better days." She replied honestly. "But I've always said _Worry is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but doesn't get you anywhere._ So, I'm trying to remain positive. Cody's been trying to help the best he can, doing extra things around the café and making sure his homework's done on time."

"He's a good lad." Frank said as they both went and sat down.

"Yes, he is." Abigail agreed. "he's been missing Josie quite a lot too."

"I reckon he would. She helps him with homework." Frank was happy to see that his little joke put a smile on Josie's face. "How's Becky doing in college?"

"Good. I got another letter from her yesterday. She wanted to come home when she heard about Josie going missing, but I told her that we were fine. She'd got exams at the moment, so she's been quite busy. She's mentioned again about getting ice skates for Christmas. Its so funny how they think about Christmas months in advance."

"Yes, it is." He was interrupted by the coach coming around the corner. "Hi Bill. Hi Jay." He said as he stood up.

"Hi Frank." Bill said as he got out of the coach. "Had any trouble while I've been away?"

"No, its been pretty quiet around here. I'm glad your back though, because they want me back over in Cape Fullerton next week. I have some things to do, so I'll leave you two to talk." Frank said, then he walked away across the street.

Jay gave Bill a teasing look. "And I really should get to my ranch and check on things. See you around Bill, Abigail." Jay gave him a pat on the shoulder then walked over to the livery.

Abigail stood up and walked over to Bill. "You must be hungry, come. I'll fix you some lunch."

"I won't argue with that, Abigail." Bill said as he followed her to the café then opened the door for her.

Abigail heard a flurry of footsteps, then Cody came running downstairs. "Hey, hold up young man."

Cody stopped and looked at her. "Yes, mum?"

"What are you doing here so early? Aren't you supposed to still be in school?"

"Miss Thatcher let us out early today. She said we should enjoy the sunshine while we can."

"Alright." Abigail chuckled. "Off you go, young man. Have fun."

"Okay." Cody was about to run out the door with his baseball glove when he saw Bill standing next to the table. "Sherriff Avery! Did you find Josie?"

Bill looked at Abigail, asking silently what to say. She nodded, letting him know to tell Cody the truth. He knelt down to Cody's level, looking up at the boy. "I'm sorry, Cody. No. I didn't find her. I'm still looking for her though, I haven't stopped. She wouldn't want you to worry about her though."

Cody looked at Bill, wondering if he should ask his next question. "She's not dead, is she?"

"No." Bill assured with confidence. "She's alive, and I'm going to find her. Go on now, go play. I need to talk to your mom." He could see Cody still wasn't convinced. "Don't worry, we will find her."

"Alright." Cody smiled slightly. "I'll go outside now. Bye Sherriff Avery, Bye Ma." He picked his baseball off the table as he ran out the door.

Bill sighed as he stood up and looked at Abigail. "Next to telling you about her going missing, that's the second hardest thing I've had to do this year." He took a seat at the table and waited for Abigail to serve his lunch.

Abigail pulled the plate out of the oven where she'd been keeping it warm and placed it on the table, then she grabbed herself a cup of tea and sat down across from him. "So, how did it go?"

Bill looked at his plate as he picked up his fork. Abigail had served him up chicken pot pie and vegetables and he was so glad to be eating something decent again. "Well, considering that we only had about three people trying to kill us, I'd say it was a good trip." He took a bite out of his pie and saw Abigail's quizzical look on her face. "McCallister wasn't too happy about us finding him. As you know, we went to Denver and straight to his house, posing as horse buyers. The maid took us to the library and told us to wait there for McCallister. While we were there, I found these." He pulled out the note and the hair ribbon out of his pocket. "Josie defiantly had been there."

"Abigail took the hair ribbon and the note, tracing the writing that Josie had written with her finger. "Then what happened?"

"We arrested McCallister. He said that Josie had escaped two weeks previous to us arriving there. That was all he said he knew. I checked out his story, and it was true. Josie and one of his maids did run off. Jay and I spent the next few days we were there riding around, looking for her, but she left no trace. We asked everyone in Denver and the surrounding areas if they saw her, but there was nothing that gave us any new leads."

Abigail nodded. "At least we know she's alive, and somewhere. Now this is going to be the biggest game of "Find Josie" and of us have ever played. Have you put out a description of her in the newspapers?"

"Yes, I did. Hopefully they will publish it in more than one notice. I hope that we can get some solid information, and soon."


	18. Back Story 15

**Back Story 15**

 **Well, here is the last backstory chapter of my story! I hope you all enjoyed the backstory so far, but now in the next chapter, we'll move into the first episode of season 5, the Christams movie! Anyway, i hope you all enjoy, sorry this chapter is short...**

 **Leave me a review please, and as an answer to a review i got, Elizabeth is in the story a bit more, but mainly my story is made around Abigail, Bill and Josie. Jack will also be in it later too..**

 **Enjoy!**

It was getting a bit late in the afternoon when Josie and her companions arrived at a shallow, but wide river. "We'll stop here tonight." Josie said as she gave the palomino a pat. "Set up camp, I'll go get us something to eat."

"Alright, Josie. Don't take to long though. We will still have to cook it, unless you want to eat it raw." Amelia laughed as she saw Josie's face. "I'll get a fire going and put the kettle on and you can have a coffee when you get back."

"Thanks Amelia." Josie handed her the line to the pack horses. "We should train another couple of other horses to carry the packs, that way one can rest while the others work."

"Good idea." We can do that when we stop for a couple of days."

"I was thinking we'll stay here tomorrow and let the horses rest. I'll train a couple for us to ride, so we don't wear out these ones. Right, I'm off." Josie nudged the horse into a canter. "I won't be long."

As Josie rode through the forest, she managed to get a couple of rabbits for the dinner, then, as she was about to go back to camp, she heard a string of frightened whinny's coming form the young horse.

Josie moved her horse towards the sound, then she saw a little foal, nudging a horse on the ground and whinnying loudly. She pulled her horse to a stop and quietly dismounted, then got a soft rope from off her saddle and snuck up on the foal from behind. Quickly she tied a knot in the rope, making a noose, and with a flick of her wrist, the foal was caught.

It snorted and reared, not understanding that this girl was here to help it. Josie tied the rope to the saddle horn, so that the foal couldn't get away, then turned her attention to the mare. She knelt down beside its head and put her fingers to the jugular vein. Nothing. She then gently lifted the mare's eyelid and saw that her eye was glazed. She was defiantly dead.

As Josie looked at the mare, she began to figure out what had happened to her. There were wounds that looked like they were made from bullets in her hips and some on her back. "Shattered pelvis, no doubt." She said as she looked at the mare, then she turned her attention to the foal.

The foal had stopped fighting the rope, and was standing quietly, its head down, looking suspiciously at Josie. Josie slowly walked over to the stallion she'd ridden on and got the empty canteen off the saddle, then went back over to the mare and got as much milk out of her as she could. She saw that the foal was calming down, the stallion gently nuzzling it, and walked over to the filly and began to gain enough trust from it to pick it up.

The foal fell asleep after she had drunk some of the milk, then as gently as she could, Josie picked it up and straddled it over the horse's shoulders, holding it in place as she mounted up. Then, holding the foal with one arm, the other on the reins, she turned the horse back to camp.

* * *

Snow Maiden was sitting at the fire, and when she saw Josie coming back, she ran up to her. "Milly get water. Me help." She looked at the foal. "Where it mother?"

"The mare's dead." Josie explained as she dismounted, then pulled the foal off the saddle and carried it to the fire. "Shot, but it didn't kill her straight away. She dragged herself back to the foal. I managed to get almost a full canteen of milk from her, but it won't be enough. The mare only just died."

Amelia was coming back with a kettle of water when she saw Snow Maiden and Josie and went over to them. "Oh, she's so cute!" She exclaimed when she saw the foal.

"The dam was killed. But that's not the only problem." Josie sighed. "I found another horse. This one was alive, but it was wounded badly. I put it out of its misery. There's still about two hours left of daylight. Amelia, can you watch the foal? Snow Maiden and I should go out and make sure there's no other injured horses."

Amelia nodded. She understood Josie's love for the horses, and even she had been appalled how they had been treated. "Apart from the foal, did you bring anything else back?"

"Yes, two rabbits." Josie handed them down to her. "We won't be long. Save the skins, I'll tan them tomorrow and we can make gloves out of them. Winter won't be far away, and we'll need to be able to stay warm."

* * *

"There's another one." Josie whispered to her companion as they peeked out at a horse from behind a bush. "What do you think?"

"Not hurt bad. Foal killed." Snow Maiden replied as she looked at the still horse on the ground. "Mare heal. Look after orphan foal."

"My thoughts exactly, Snow Maiden. Here." She handed the young Indian a rope. "I want you to go around to the other side. When you see me raise my hand, rope the mare. Stay hidden, we don't want her to run and injure herself more."

Snow Maiden nodded as she took the rope, then she crept away to get into position. Josie waited until she saw that Snow Maiden was ready, then she gave the signal. Snow Maiden crawled out of the bush and flung out her rope at the mare, the noose settling around the horse's neck, then Josie's rope went around the horse's neck, just above the previous one.

The mare squealed and reared as the ropes settled on her neck, then both the girls tied the ropes to trees to secure her and began to walk closer to her, the mare snorting angrily the whole time. The mare eyed the girls closely, not moving a muscle and she let them get close enough to touch her.

"Woah, easy girl. You're a beautiful one, aren't you?" Josie said as she began to rub the mare's face. "Steady, steady, see? I'm not going to hurt you. You'll be alright now. Woah, it's okay, It's going to be okay." She turned to Snow Maiden. "Snow Maiden, have a look at her wound please. I'll keep her occupied."

Snow Maiden nodded and walked to the mare's side, trying not to startle her, then she looked at the mare's injuries. "Couple bullet wounds. Not bad. Heal well in few days. She good to look after foal."

Josie gave a sigh of relief. "That's good, I was worried they might have been worse than what I first thought. Let's get her back to camp." She continued to stroke the mare as she talked. "I'm glad she'll be alright, considering that we had to put those other horses we found down. Lucky we found her before someone else did. She's been tamed before." She nodded in the direction of the mare's withers. "She's got saddle sores. She doesn't have a brand though. Can you get our horses please? I don't want to leave her here, she might try to get away and hurt herself."

"Okay. Won't be long." Snow Maiden slipped back into the forest where they'd hidden their horses and soon led them back to Josie and the injured mare. She handed the reins of Josie's horse to her, then mounted her horse and waited for Josie to be ready, then they started the ride back to camp.

When Josie and Snow Maiden returned, Amelia had both rabbits cooking and was sitting next to the fire, quietly patting the sleeping foal. As she looked up at their approach, she saw Josie leading a mare, and her eyes lit up. "Do you think she'll take to the foal?"

"We can try." Josie said as she dismounted. "I got some pine nettles to rub on the foal" She handed the mare's rope to Snow Maiden and walked over to the foal and began to rub her down. "and I've already rubbed the mare down with them. Mares identify their foals by their scent, so if they smell the same, she should take the foal. I've done it before with a couple of horses." She walked back to the mare, then took her rope and led the mare to the foal, then still holding onto the rope, backed away a little to give them some room.

The mare nudged the foal, gently, then began to sniff it all over. The foal, woken out of her sleep by the mare got up and began to sniff her back, then she smelt milk and made a frantic dash for the mare's bulging udder. As the foal began to drink, her tail began to wag excitedly back and forth, much to Josie, Amelia and Snow Maiden's amusement. Maybe this whole thing didn't happen without some good come out of it…

* * *

Days on the trail turned to weeks, and the weeks into long months. What was left of summer turned into a cold fall, then fall turned into a colder winter. As the time rolled together, the orphaned foal, which Josie had named Blossom, had grown into a curious, little inquisitive miniature version of a beautiful mare, and Josie was proud of what they all had achieved.

With the weeks on the trail, the girls had gotten into a system of moving the horses. They would ride for five days, then rest for two when they found pasture to feed them. Depending on what they would find, with each day bringing new challenges, they sometimes had to change the little schedule. Once they'd had to ride for three days straight, and the nights aswell until they found water for the horses, then they'd had to do another long push when they couldn't find grass.

As with the changing of the seasons, the chance of finding game became scarcer, and Josie and Snow Maiden had a harder time of finding something for them to eat. Josie sneakily began to eat less, so that the others had more, but they didn't figure out that she was starving to make sure they had enough to eat. She took extra time on the night shifts watching the horses so that the two girls would have more rest. She did it out of guilt. Guilt of her getting them into this mess, guilt for what might have happened to Amelia when she'd fallen off her horse from exhaustion, guilt for Snow Maiden getting sick as they didn't have enough to eat.

Occasionally when they were close to a town, Josie would sneak in and find food in the bins to supplement the meagre share that she took from the dinner they shared. It was on one of those occasions that she notice the Christmas decorations and realized that Christmas was only two weeks away. Then she began to start to drive them and the horses harder, to get them back to Hope Valley in time to be there for Christmas. They also tried to avoid the snowstorms that were common in the mountains, and one they'd been caught in threw them behind for three days, but still they ploughed on, with the determination and grit of a small army.


	19. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

* * *

It happened just after they'd stopped for the night outside Lethbridge. Josie went ahead to scout the trail, trying to find somewhere along the frozen creek for the horses to drink from, when her bay stallion went down to the ground.

Josie sat up after she hit the ground, a little dazed, then the horse's screams brought her out of her shock. She looked over at the horse, who was thrashing the ground, trying to get up, and Josie as she ran her fingers over his shoulder, she realized that the horse had completely shattered it in the fall.

"I'm so sorry boy." Josie said as she knelt by the horse and cradled the bay's head in her lap, her tears falling onto the horse's face. "I should have seen that rabbit hole. I'm sorry boy. I'm sorry." She could see the pain in the horse's eyes as it struggled to rise again, and she knew what she had to do. "It's alright. It will be over in a moment. Ssssh, easy." She whispered as she stood up, wiped away her tears and pulled out her pistol.

The gun barked once, and the horse stopped his frantic thrashing and became still. Josie put the pistol back into its holster and buried her face in her hands as she sank to her knees beside the still stallion. Even though she hadn't even given the horse a name, he'd faithfully carried her on his back for nearly four months.

After a few minutes, Josie looked up at the sky, and saw that the sky was clouding over again, a big storm was brewing. Wiping away her tears again she gently pulled off the horse's saddle and bridle and began the walk back to where she'd left the herd…

* * *

Abigail looked up at the clock from where she was sitting at the table and saw that it was time to go to the tree ceremony. Bill had already gone to go help the rest of the town to get it up, after he'd made sure that Abigail would be okay. With determined resolve, she stood up and walked out of the café to the crowd gathered at the tree and forced herself to put a smile on her face.

"Good day, everyone! Welcome to the Hope Valley's Christmas Tree!" She welcomed as the crowd gathered around, Elizabeth and Rosemary standing by her side holding the baskets of ornaments. "We wish that Pastor Frank could be with us, but he was needed at Children's Hospital in Cape Fullerton." She saw the people nod their heads in understanding of his absence. "Now as some of you may know, our Christmas tree this year is a little different. It's a wishing tree." She opened the lid on the box next to her. "And that means that you take an ornament just like this one and write your wish on the back and place it on the tree. When someone takes it down, it means that they're working to make your wish come true."

"That sounds simple enough." Florence agreed as she nodded.

"Can we make our wishes now?" Anna asked excitedly.

"I don't see why not." Abigail replied. "Christmas is only a few days away." She watched as Rosemary and Elizabeth began to distribute the ornaments among the crowd, then she saw her daughter-in-law and Jesse and smiled, they not knowing she was watching.

Clara smiled as she looked up at Jesse. "I love the idea of a wishing tree."

"There's a certain guy who wants to know what you're wishing for." Jesse teased back.

"Well, tell him to surprise me." Clara replied as she took an ornament from Rosemary.

"Oh, come on!" Jesse nudged her as he took his own ornament. "Just a little hint?"

"No. You're on your own."

"Here you go, there's enough for you too." Elizabeth said as she handed an ornament each to Timmy and Maggie, then she stood back up and turned to Abigail. "Where's Carson?"

"Oh, he had a patient to attend too. Mrs. Morcormick." Abigail replied as she handed Josh an ornament.

"Mrs. Morcormick. She was one of the settlers we helped a few years back. I hardly see her around town."

"She does keep to herself." She saw Elizabeth still holding her ornament. "Put your wish on the tree."

Elizabeth looked down and sighed. "With everything that's happening in the Northern Territories, it just seems selfish to wish to spend Christmas with Jack."

"It's not." Abigail assured her. "At all." She looked at the tree, noticing all the wishes on it. "I see a lot of ornaments going up, but not to many coming down."

"Well, I'll be the first." Elizabeth took a wish off the tree and read it.

"What does it say?"

"I wish for a crib for my new brother or sister. And its signed Robert."

"How far along is his mother?"

"She's due in about a month." She held the wish against her. "This is so sweet."

"He's a good boy." Abigail looked back up at the tree, then at her watch. "Oh, gosh!"

"What?"

"The committee meeting." She looked at Abigail. "It starts in ten minutes." She grabbed Elizabeth's hand. "Come on."

"Oh, alright." Elizabeth chuckled as she followed Abigail to the café.

* * *

"Next on the agenda, the floats." Abigail looked at Elizabeth. "Elizabeth, does the school float have a theme yet?"

"My students are giving me their ideas tomorrow."

"Excellent."

Dottie raised her hand momentarily. "We need a Santa."

Elizabeth chuckled. "Oh, the men know. They're already avoiding eye contact with me."

"It's like pulling teeth to get one to volunteer." Florence joined in.

"Maybe we take a different tactic this year." Rosemary said as she got an idea.

Abigail liked the idea. "Okay, Rosemary. You'll be in charge of that." She looked at the list in front of her. "Now, the band for the Christmas parade."

"Oh." Rosemary butted in again. "I heard the volunteer's practicing in the saloon. Ugh, they could use some direction."

"Sounds like we need a band leader." Clara suggested.

"Someone who knows how to command respect."

"Someone who could whip them into shape in just a few days." Molly remarked.

"A calm voice in a sea of disharmony."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes at Rosemary, then looked at Abigail with a little glint in her eye. "Where would we find someone?"

Rosemary smiled and was about to speak when Abigail cut her off.

"I know just the man." She winked at Elizabeth, then saw Rosemary's face and the ladies all had a little chuckle at her expense.

* * *

It was late in the afternoon when Josie caught back up to the herd. She saw Amelia and Snow Maiden guarding the horses in a little valley with some grass in it. Amelia looked up and saw Josie approaching. "Josie! What happened?" She ran over to her.

Josie sighed, as she dropped the tack on the ground, exhausted from breaking a path through the thick snow. "The stallion broke his shoulder. I had to put him down."

"Oh, Josie." Amelia said as she looked at her shivering friend. "I'm sorry. Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"No." Josie shook her head. "I'm fine. We'll camp here tonight, in the trees. We don't have a choice." She took the blanket Snow Maiden passed to her and wrapped it around herself. "I'm too exhausted to go anywhere right now."

* * *

Bill was not happy with Abigail's idea when he walked out of the café with her later that afternoon. "I've heard the Christmas Band."

"I'm sure they just need a little fine tuning."

"There is no such thing as fine or tuning in this group."

Abigail looked at him. "But you'll do it?"

Bill ignored it, then he saw Abigail struggling with the box she was carrying. "Here, let me take that for you." She handed him the box, and he was surprised at how heavy it was. "What are you mailing? An anchor?"

Abigail was offended. "It's a shipment of my scones."

"Oh, I'm sorry." He apologized as he gave a little chuckle. "So, who's going to get to enjoy these light, fluffy delicacies?"

Abigail sighed and bit her lip before replying, knowing that Bill wouldn't be happy. "Henry Gowan. I know what you're going to say."

Bill looked down and saw the address on the parcel, and for a moment contemplated dropping the box, but he thought against it. "What you do with your baking your business. Besides Henry could probably use some homemade treats to warm him up. Those tent camps get pretty cold at night."

"What tent camps?"

"The detention centres are getting overcrowded due to the new prisoners from the Northern Territories so they're housing some inmates in tent camps."

"But its winter."

"Well, criminal justice isn't supposed to be pleasant." He walked up the stairs of the general store and then he stopped as Abigail began to argue with him.

"Can't we offer Henry some charity? Maybe he could come here for the holidays."

"Abigail! The man conspired with the railroad to steal from this town, he doesn't deserve any kindness from us."

Abigail sighed, then she started her own argument. "Bill, if we can't forgive people, then I don't think we're doing things right."

"You're not serious about Gowan?" He saw the look on Abigail's face and realized she was. "You are serious."

"He can stay in the jail where it's warm."

"And I'd be his maid? No thanks."

"He can sleep in the ceil at night and do community service during the day."

"Oh, community service? I'm sure our former mayor would just love to be someone's lackey.

Abigail gave him the look that said she meant business. "I'm sure our current one would be beholden to you."

"Are you pulling rank on me? Is that how this goes?"

"Might do him some good to see what it's like to help people."

"You're not backing down on this, are you?" he saw the set look on her face. Sometime this women just knew how to infuriate him. "I'll try to call in a favour."

* * *

The next day, Elizabeth was walking out to the tree with Rosemary and Lee to place her wish on the tree. They stopped in front of the tree, and Rosemary turned to Elizabeth.

"I've said my piece. Now it's up to you."

"Shall we?" Lee asked, and he led Rosemary away to the café, knowing the surprise that Elizabeth was about to get.

Elizabeth slowly walked to the tree, and turned her wish over, reading what she'd written there, then she put it up, not hearing who had come up behind her.

"I really hope my name's on that thing." Jack said, then she smiled as she spun around.

"Jack!" She didn't say anything else as they began to share a passionate kiss, the Jack pulled away.

"Merry Christmas, Elizabeth."

* * *

"I still can't believe you're here." Elizabeth said as she led Jack into the café's kitchen, holding tightly onto his hand, never wanting to let go.

"Neither can I."

Elizabeth looked at Abigail and Bill who were standing with smiles on their faces next to each other. "How did this happen?"

"Well." Abigail looked at Bill. "Bill contacted Jacks commanding officer."

"Let's just say, he owed me a favour."

Elizabeth didn't know what to say, and she gave Bill a hug. "Thankyou."

Lee and Rosemary walked in. "Jack! Welcome back, pal."

"Thanks lee." Jack shook his hand, then gave Rosemary a hug.

"We prayed for you everyday." She said as she clasped his hand.

"I'm sorry, we kept you in the dark." Abigail apologized. "But we wanted it to be a surprise."

"It was a huge surprise." Elizabeth laughed. "I don't know how you all kept it a secret."

"Well, there was one person we were a little worried about." Lee motioned to Rosemary.

"Oh, please." Rosemary chided. "Never once did I come close to spilling the beans. And it was my performance that got her back to the tree. Let's not forget."

"How could we?" Lee teased back, the he heard the boys running downstairs.

"Mountie Jack!" Cody's face lit up when he saw him. "We're so glad your home!"

"What was it like up there?" Robert wanted to know. "Did you see a lot of bad guys?"

"To many." He replied.

"We're all excited that your home, but I think it's time that the two of you have some time alone." Abigail encouraged. "Go on, off you go."

* * *

Abigail and Cody climbed the stairs together to the attic that night, to find some more decorations for the café.

"If I remember correctly." Abigail said as she opened the door. "That extra box of decorations is in here."

Cody saw a wooden box. "Is this it?"

"I don't know, let's take a look." As she opened up the box she saw an old photo and pulled it out of the corner, then she sat down on another box, memories came flooding back.

"Is that Peter, mom?"

"Yes." She paused as she looked at it. "When he was about your age. Gosh, I haven't seen this photo in years."

"I wish I could have met him."

"He would have been a wonderful big brother to you."

"You must miss him a lot."

Abigail bit her lip, something she did when she was upset, or nervous. "I do." She looked up from the photo into Cody's eyes. "But I'm so blessed to have you and Becky in my life now. And Josie." She paused, looked back down at the photo then added with a sigh. "Wherever she is."

Cody nodded, then he saw an old piece of brown paper. "Hey, what's this?" he picked it up and read it. "Decorate the house, bake Christmas Cookies, buy presents."

Abigail gave a little chuckle as she remembered the fun times she'd had at Christmas with her son. "That is one of Peters famous "to do" list." She took the note as Cody handed it to her. "He loved doing them. He loved everything about Christmas."

"So do I." Cody agreed. "Especially presents and cookies. Mostly presents."

"Peter loved hearing stories about the North Pole. We would talk for hours about how magical it was. He was fascinated by it."

"He sure did check off a lot of things." He looked at Abigail and saw that she saw looking at the photo again, seemingly to be deep in thought, then she brushed it aside.

"Well." She put the photo back. "Let's find that extra box so that we can continue decorating the tree." She stood up and walked away before Cody could see the tears in her eyes, not noticing him looking at the photo, and him getting an idea…

* * *

Bill looked at the band in front of him, he had already given them a little pep talk, and now he was ready to see what they could do. Part of him wished that he hadn't taken the job as the band leader, but he was thankful for something to do. Something that kept him busy, so that he wouldn't entertain thoughts of failure in finding Josie. One thing that Bill hated was failure. His failure. He hated to fail at anything, especially promises. Even more that the promise was to Abigail, the woman that he loved, and wanted to make her happy again more than anything, to see her smile again, and see the sparkle in her eyes that glittered when she laughed.

 _Josie would have been so much better at this than I am._ He sighed as he drew his thoughts together, then he turned back to the waiting band, ignoring the people who were now decorating the saloon in Christmas finery. "Alright then, we'll try Deck the Halls from the top, okay?" He played the first line on the piano, and winced as he heard how out of tune it was. _I wish Josie was here. She would be able to get it back into reasonable tune again._ He gave the band the cue to start, and they did, rather awfully.

The people who were decorating stopped at the awful racket and looked at the band. Rosemary looked on at the proceedings from the stairs, a wistful longing in her eyes for the noise to stop, or for her to take over, as it looked like to her, that the job was too big for Bill to handle.

Bill listened to the band for a few seconds, then he gave them the cue to stop. "Okay, okay!" The stopped and looked at him, wondering what was wrong. "I thought you said you all had experience."

"Well, well," Mr. Yost stuttered. "I haven't played for a while."

"We've only just come together for this." Wilma next to him added.

"Well," Bill nodded. "Maybe we just need to practise a little more as a group." _Or forget the idea of a Christmas band._ He thought. "Seems like we're a bit brass heavy. Would be nice if we had some woodwinds. Does anyone play the flute?"

Rosemary stopped herself from bargaining in, remembering what Elizabeth had told her, and made up her mind to let Bill do his job, without her meddling.

"That's too bad." He decided what to do next. "Okay, well. Ah, Let's just, ah, try it again, shall we?"

* * *

Abigail was washing up dishes in the sink the next morning when she heard the café door open, and Jay and Kinchie walked in. "Jay, hello." She gave the wolf a pat. "Hi Kinchie."

"Abigail, can I ask you a favour?" Jay asked as he put his hat on the rack.

"Sure, after all, you've helped me out by looking after Cougar and Josie's horses."

"We've got a pack of dogs that's gone crazy, so I'm getting a group together to go and get rid of them. I was hoping that Cody would be able to watch Kinchie for me, I don't want her to follow me and possibly get hurt."

Abigail smiled. "Cody will love to look after her. I'll let him know that he can watch her when he gets up." She was interrupted by Bill walking in the door behind Jay. "Are you going out with Jay as well, Bill?"

Bill nodded. "The dogs were Turners. They killed him. They're extremely vicious, and we need to get rid of them before they get anyone else. Once a dog has a taste for human blood, nothing will stop them. That one that attacked Rob a few months back is still out there somewhere too."

"Oh, I didn't realize it was that bad." Abigail exclaimed as they walked into the kitchen. "Here, I'll go prepare you men some lunch, I'm guessing that you'll be out for most of the day." She heard Cody coming down the stairs and turned to him. "Cody, Jay wants you to look after Kinche today."

Cody's eyes lit up when she told him that he'd be looking after the dog. Ever since Dasher had died from a snakebite a few months ago, he'd occasionally look after Kinche and Wolf, and he enjoyed every moment of it. "Great! Thanks Jay." He gave the dog a pat and grabbed a couple of muffins off the plate. "I'm going out for a quick ride on Taffy. I'll be back in time for school. Come on Kinche."

"Cody, wait!" Abigail called out after him, but Cody had already run out the door.

"Abigail, he'll be fine." Bill reassured, then he looked at Jay. "How many men have we got?

"About fifteen. They'll be gathered in about an hour, outside the saloon." Jay grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down at the table, watching Abigail making the sandwiches. "Have you heard any news about Josie?"

"No." She began to wrap the sandwiches in the brown paper. "Still nothing. But you never know, it is the season for miracles."

* * *

"Hey girl, want to go for a ride?" Cody asked Taffy as he walked into her stall and led her out. He grabbed her saddle and bridle and tacked her up, Kinchie watching intently the whole time, the Cody led the pony out and mounted. "Let's go. Kinchie, come."

Kinchie jumped up and ran after the pony, matching the pony's strides and they rode a fair way out of town. Cody rode slowly through the forest, looking for some mistletoe and holly as a surprise for Abigail, and he didn't notice Kinchie starting to sniff the wind. Then she stopped and she began to whine, watching the boulders intently as Cody went riding past.

A grey dog peered over the rock and saw Cody and the horse riding past on the trail below. He started to growl, his hackles raising, then he leapt for Cody, but misjudged it and only managed to knock the boy off his horse.

Cody rolled over, startled, then he saw the dog creeping closer to him, growling and baring his teeth, then, with a roar, Kinchie jumped in front of him, guarding Cody from the danger as the savage dog rushed at her, she crashed into him with her chest and bowled the dog over.

The horse took off at a bolt towards town, then the rest of the pack showed up, giving the grey dog back up. Cody got up and made a desperate scramble for cover and climbed into the nearest tree, away from the growling dogs

Kinchie and the grey leader rolled over and over, snarling and biting, then Kinchie made her move and flipped the much bigger male dog over and went for his throat. She made a quick motion, then dog lay dead. With another snarl, she rushed at the next two dogs who were behind the now dead leader. They bowled her over, but she wiggled free and pinned the two dogs down, then killed them as well.

She stood over the dead leaders and snarled at the rest of the pack, challenging them to fight her. The eight dogs began to back up, still snarling at Kinchie, but with their leaders dead, they had turned to cowards. With a fierce roar and a huge bound, she leapt forward, snarling and growling and barking all at the same time, sending the pack into a frenzy. With a frightened yelp, they turned tail and fled, with Kinchie hot on their heels, then as she gave them her final warning to leave them alone, she ran back to Cody.

Cody climbed down out of the tree after he saw the dogs had gone and dropped to his knees beside Kinchie. "Are you okay, girl?" He wrapped his handkerchief around her leg, and she started to lick him and whine. "We need to get back to town, come on girl, we'll get Abigail to fix you up." He stood up, then he saw the dogs coming back, hiding in the shadows. He looked at Kinchie and realized that she was too weak and tired to fight again, so he decided the best thing was to make a run for it, and he took off towards town with Kinchie trying her best to keep up.

All of a sudden, as they rounded a corner in the trail, a huge black dog jumped down into the trail and started to crouch towards them, snarling and growling. Cody saw a huge rock and picked it up, knowing that this was serious. "Go on, get out of here! Get!" He yelled at the top of his voice as he threw the rock at the dog and hit it right on its head. The dog yelped and ran back into the forest, and Cody and Kinchie made another desperate dash for town…

* * *

The men had gathered outside the saloon and were waiting for Jay's instructions when Cody's horse raced back into town, her reins broken and the saddle twisted.

Abigail was walking across the street to the office to start work when the pony ran around the corner. "Taffy! Woah!" She yelled as she ran out to a stop in front of the frantic mare. With a snort the pony slid to a halt and reared as Abigail caught the reins. "Woah, easy, easy girl." Then she saw the blood dripping from the horses back and legs. "Bill! Come here!"

Bill ran over from behind the building where he'd been getting his horse a bucket of water, past the men who were watching. "What's wrong?"

"Taffy's been hurt." Abigail pointed out the wounds. "She must have thrown Cody, or fallen."

"No, she didn't fall." He ran his hand over the pony's knees and picked up her foreleg to look at the wound. "She's been attacked by dogs."

Jay heard the word "dogs" and ran over. "Dogs?" He looked at Abigail, knowing that every second lost could mean life or death for Cody, if it was the same pack. "What trail would he have taken?"

"I don't know. He could have picked any trails. Do you think he could have been hurt?" Abigail turned to Bill, not waiting for an answer. "We need to find him."

"Agreed." Bill ran for his horse. "Get up behind me, Abigail." He helped her up, then the rest of group mounted, about to leave for town, when Abigail saw Cody and Kinchie running out of the forest towards the town.

"There they are! Cody!" Abigail yelled and Bill quickly rode his horse out to meet them, then she jumped off before he'd even stopped the horse and grabbed Cody in her arms. "You had me worried. Are you alright?"

Cody nodded. "I'm okay, but Kinchie, she's been hurt." He pointed down to the dog, whose white coat was now covered in blood, her own and the dogs she'd fought with. "She saved me from being killed. The dogs knocked me off Taffy, then Kinchie attacked them."

Abigail looked at Bill, then back at Cody. "Where were you when they attacked?"

"The trail between here and Burt's Hill." He pulled away from Abigail and looked at Bill and Jay. "There was more than ten of them. Kinchie killed three, then the rest ran, but they followed us." He looked at Jay checking out the she-wolf's wounds. "Will she be okay?"

"Yes, she will. Abigail, can you please fix her up? We need to get those dogs before they attack anyone else."

"Sure." Abigail nodded. "Come on, Cody. Let's go get Kinchie better."

"Alright, come on, girl." Cody walked off to the café with Abigail, and Kinchie limping beside.

Jay looked at Bill, both of them knowing what he was thinking. This pack needed to be destroyed before anyone else got hurt.


	20. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 **Sorry I havent updated for a while, life has gotten in the way, lol. But here is TWO chapters for you to enjoy!**

* * *

It was later that morning, after the group had already left town that Elizabeth made her announcement about the school's project. The children were so excited to see Jack that they had been late getting into school. Cody had only just made it on time, with the promise from Abigail that she'd look after Kinchie, and he was just waiting for the right moment to tell the class his idea, the ordeal that he'd just had quickly forgotten in his excitement.

"We're glad to have you back, Mountie Jack." Opal said as she gave Brownie a hug.

"Thank you, Opal, I'm happy to be here too." He looked at Elizabeth, thinking of how beautiful she looked.

Elizabeth looked at him and smiled, then she turned back to the class. "Mountie Jack has volunteered to help us build the school float, but we need lots of ideas. So who wants to go first?"

Cody say his chance and took it, being the first to raise his hand but he waited for Elizabeth to let him talk. "I think it should be the North Pole."

Philip liked the idea. "We could have a Santa's worshop."

"And sleigh and reindeer." Emily joined in.

"And snowflakes." Opal shouted out.

"And Santa's Elves." One of the new girls added."

"Then the North Pole it is." Elizabeth agreed, much to the children's delight. "Starting tomorrow, school will be out for the holidays, but I want all of you to report to the barn to help with the float. Now, why doesn't everyone start drawing what you think the North Pole looks like."

Cody got up from his seat and walked to Elizabeth. "Miss Thatcher, I want this to be the best North Pole ever."

"You hear that?" Elizabeth looked at Jack.

"No pressure." He joked.

"But don't tell my mom, okay?"

"Why?"

"I want this to be a surprise." He saw Jack and Elizabeth nod, then Elizabeth agreed with an "Okay" and Cody went back to his seat, happy that his idea had now been set in motion.

* * *

With most of her work for the day done, Abigail was walking back to the café to help Emily with the lunch rush when she heard a familiar voice call out her name, and she stopped and spun around in astonishment. "Montana!"

Montana nodded, then ran up to her and gave Abigail a hug. "Abigail, oh, I've missed you, and this town." She looked around at the decorations. "I can see you all have been busy."

"It's so good to see you." Abigail couldn't believe her eyes. "When did you get back?"

"Just now, on the stage."

"And you didn't send word that you were coming?"

"No, I wanted it to be a surprise for Josie." She looked around the town again. "Where is she?"

Abigail's face dropped. "We sent you letters and telegrams, didn't you receive them?"

"No." Montana couldn't make it out. "I never got anything at all from anyone here, which I thought was a bit strange, but with the post, they could have lost it. What's happened?"

Abigail didn't say anything for a few moments, instead she began to lead Montana to the café. After a few moments of silence, she looked at Montana, her eyes just starting to glisten a touch. "Josie was kidnapped."

"What?" Montana asked in disbelief. "When?"

"About four months ago, the day you left." Abigail sighed, then she looked down at the ground. "Colin took Josie fishing, they loved doing that together." She paused for a moment. "We didn't know McCallister had come back, or I'd never would have let Josie go fishing. He waited for the right moment, then he made his move. Colin was shot trying to stop him from taking her, he almost died."

Montana nodded, taking it in, trying not to show emotion. "What happened next?"

"After a long time, Bill found the evidence pointing to Josie being taken by McCallister. By the time he went and confronted McCallister, Josie was already gone."

"Gone?"

"We don't know what happened." Abigail opened the door to the café and walked in, then closed it after Montana. "According to McCallister, apparently Josie and another girl took off. I don't know how to believe that. We haven't heard from her, and no one has seen her."

"Where's McCallister now?"

"Serving a nice jail sentence." She filled the kettle and placed it on the stove. "He was tried and found guilty for kidnapping and murder, but that man knows people in high places. All he has to serve is a five years, then he's free again."

Montana didn't know what to think of the news. She sat down in a chair at the table, numb. "Do they believe what he says, about her running away?"

Abigail sighed as she sat down. "I want to believe it, but…" Her voice broke. "If Josie was alive, she would have found a way to get word to us. I still have hope that one day we will find her, but that hope is getting slimmer and slimmer. All I can do is hope, there is nothing else."

* * *

Josie and the girls made little headway the next few days from when Josie had the accident. The snow had been falling heavily in the mountains where they were passing through, making the going even harder on the horses. As Christmas came closer, Josie began to realise that her chances of getting back to Hope Valley in time for Christmas were slowly getting slimmer. They couldn't even make it through the mountain pass, and they had to take the long way around, adding another hundred miles to their journey…

* * *

"Bill?" Abigail opened the door to the Mounties office that night. Cody was out with the rest of the townspeople, working on the floats for the Christmas parade, and Jay had stopped by only a few minutes before to pick up Kinchie and take her home. "Have you heard any news about?" Her question about Josie was forgotten when she looked up as she closed the door and saw Henry sitting in the cell. "Henry."

"You seem surprised to see me." Henry commented on her tone as he stood up.

"I wasn't expecting you so soon." She replied honestly.

"I heard that I have you to thank for this."

Abigail walked over to him. "I thought you might like to be back in Hope Valley for Christmas."

"Well" He sighed. "A jail is a jail. Nevertheless, thank you."

Abigail gave him a small smile, then she heard the door open and Bill walked in.

"I'm glad you're here." Bill said as he walked over to Abigail. "I was just about to tell Henry here about his community service."

"Oh." Henry chuffed, a little of his old self coming back. "I see. Community service. I guess I'll be eating my share of humble pie this week."

"I hope you have a big appetite. You'll start tomorrow at your old office, needs a little sprucing up. That is, if it's okay with the Mayor."

"Yes, that will be fine." Abigail agreed.

"Okay, Henry?"

"I guess it's going to have to be sheriff." Henry replied as he sat down and looked at Abigail. Something about her had changed. Something about the way when she had looked at him, her eyes said she was hurting. Hurting deeply. With a silent goodbye, she walked out of the office and left the two gentlemen alone. Henry looked at Bill, who was now sitting at his desk, going over papers. "Bill?"

"Yes?" He replied, clearly a little annoyed.

"What is wrong with Abigail?"

"Nothing's wrong with her." Bill flew to her defence. "What made you think that?"

"Her eyes. They don't sparkle anymore." Henry said quietly, genuinely concerned about her….

* * *

The black wolf walked through the dark town, growling, salivating. He walked with his head to the ground, sniffing, searching for a particular smell. As he found it, his hackles raised and he began to growl even more savagely. He followed the smell to the back door of the café, and began to try to find a way inside. With a snarl, he found the little dog flap in the door that Josie had put in for Wolf and Cougar to use, and he wiggled through, into the kitchen. Growling and snarling, the wolf-dog walked through the kitchen. The human scent was strong in his nose, and his savage instincts were running wild. With another growl, he walked through the curtains, into the café room..

Abigail was clearing the last dirty table, in the corner, when she heard the growl. She looked up quickly, and saw a huge, hideous, beast of a wolf-dog stalking her, growling, snarling, its saliva dripping on the ground. With a savage bark and growl, the dog began to walk towards her, backing her into the corner.

Abigail saw the wolf's eyes, and as the dog came closer, its rank smell filling the air, she realised that it was rabid. "Oh God." She whimpered as the realisation hit her, then she began to try to think of a way to save herself. There was a pistol under the register that Bill insisted she keep there for safety. If only she could get it, she would have something to defend herself with, other than the two china plates in her hand.

She tried to slip away to the side, sliding along the wall, but the dog stopped her with another savage snarl and bark. Abigail froze, then panic began to take over. "Someone, help! Help!" She began to scream, the dog barking loudly. The dog took another step closer, now he was only nine feet away from her. "Help! Please! Anyone!" She screamed again, then she threw one of the china plates at the dog, with the slim hope that it might scare it away. It didn't. All it did was make the dog angrier. With a fierce snarl, he jumped at her, then twisted and jumped back as Abigail tried to kick it.

Abigail was becoming frantic. She knew that no one could hear her, because they were all at the barn working on the Christmas float. If this dog bit her, and she knew that it was defiantly rabid, it was a death sentence for her, and it was a death she knew was horrible. "Help! Please! Anyone!" She yelled, then she felt the other dish in her hand, it giving her an idea. Throwing it as hard as she could, she flung it across the room at the window. It did the trick, smashing the glass with a huge crash. Hopefully someone would hear it and investigate before this mad wolf-dog bit her.

The dog jumped at the glass smashed, then he turned back to Abigail, crouching slowly, still barking and snarling horribly.

Abigail saw that the dog was about to make another attempt to attack her again, and mustering all her strength, she began to scream again. "HELP! HELP! SOMEONE HELP!"

The dog reached breaking point, and with a horrible roar, he leapt for Abigail's throat…

* * *

 **AND i'll leave it there for this chapter... lol you can read the next one. Go one, go read it, then drop me a review!**


	21. Chapter 4

**Hi All, here is the next chapter.. This will be my last chapter for a very LOOOOONNNNNNGGGGGGG time, as i just feel that i really dont have any inclenation to finish, what is the point of me writing if i dont get feedback?**

 **Anyway, enjoy it..**

* * *

"Bill, tell me. What's wrong with her?" Henry persisted, both of them oblivious to the danger that had arrived in the town, in the form of a rabid wolf-dog.

Bill sighed, got up from his chair and walked over to Henry. Even he had seen the change in her, and it hurt Bill that he hadn't been able to fulfil his promise, that was why he was being so protective of her against Henry. "A few months ago, after you left here, Abigail had a visit from her niece. She'd run away from her husband, and then her husband came here. She ran away because he abused her, and she had had enough. Cut a long story short, Abigail united the town against McCallister, and they ran him out of town. He came back a few weeks later, after revenge, and he shot Colin and kidnapped Josie."

"McCallister?" Henry said, astonished, but almost like a question, like he though he hadn't heard right."

"Thomas McCallister."

"The head of United Chicago Bank?"

"The same." Bill looked at Henry, silently questioning him. "Do you know about him? Or know him?"

Henry rolled his eyes. "I have a cell next to him. I'd say I know a lot about him. I didn't know that he took Josie. What did he do with her?"

"We don't know. According to him, Josie and one of his servants took off. I highly doubt that it's true though."

"Do you think that he might have killed her?" Henry asked as Bill passed him a cup of coffee.

"I pray that he hasn't. But every day that Josie doesn't return, is another day that makes it seem more likely."

"Do you hear that?" Henry asked as he faintly heard a person shouting.

"No." Bill looked at Henry like he'd lost his mind. "You must be hearing things."

"I must." Henry went silent, then a few moments later, he heard the noise again. "Did you hear it then?"

"Hear what?"

Henry was about to reply again when they both heard the sound of shattering glass "Hear that now?"

"Yes." Bill said as he leapt to his feet, then he could faintly make out Abigail screaming, and a dog barking. He looked at Henry, the look in Henry's eyes matching his own concern, no words were needed. He opened the door and ran out across to the café, pulling out his pistol as he ran. He leapt up the stairs and just as he looked through the broken window, the mad dog leapt for Abigail. Before he even knew what he was doing, he aimed his pistol and fired, the dog missing his mark, and Abigail knocking over a couple of tables as she moved out of the way.

The dog snarled at her again, and made another mad rush at her, Abigail jumped out of the way, knocking over more tables as she made a dash for the pistol she kept in the register.

Bill ran to the door, he didn't want to risk trying to shoot the dog again for fear of hitting Abigail on accident. The door was locked, and he was running out of time. Smashing the glass with his pistol, he reached through and un-locked the door, then flung it open. He saw Abigail trying to get her gun out, the dog leaping over a knocked over table to get to her to attack again.

Bill aimed his gun again as the dog rushed forward again. "Abigail, get down!" He yelled, then she ducked down behind the counter, as the dog tried to leap over it. The loud sound of four pistols shots vibrated through the whole café, then the dog lay dead on the ground at Abigail's feet.

Bill dropped his empty gun on the floor and ran over to her. "Are you alright?"

Abigail nodded, too scared to speak as he helped her to her feet, then she clung to him as she looked at the dog on the floor. "Bill, I was so, so…"

"Sssh, it's alright. He's dead now." Bill looked around the café. It was a shambles, then he heard Jack and Elizabeth run in.

"Abigail, what happened? We heard the shots, are you okay?" Elizabeth exclaimed as she ran over to her friend, then she saw the dog and realized what happened.

"Yes, I'm fine, lucky." She explained. "I was just clearing the tables and the dog must have come through the back door." She caught her breath, then Bill helped her over to a chair and she sat down. "I was calling and calling for help, but no one came. I was so terrified that I smashed the window with a plate, and Bill heard it."

Jack looked at the dog, then at Bill. "Is that the one that attacked Rob?"

Bill walked past the two women over to Jack. "Yep. It is." He kicked the dead dog on the ground. "And he's rabid to add to the bargain." He looked at Abigail. "Did he manage to bite you?" He asked, almost fearful of her answer. If she had been bitten by the dog, it would kill her.

Abigail shook her head as she slowly calmed down. "No, he didn't manage to bite me." She glanced up at him, gratefulness in her eyes for him saving her. "He came pretty close to it though. He would have bit me if you hadn't shot him that first time."

"What do we do with it now?" Jack asked Bill. "I've never seen a rabid animal before, let alone dispose of one."

"We're going to take it out at burn it. Where is Lassie, Wolf and Cougar, Abigail?"

Abigail raised her eyebrow. "All Josie's pets are out at Langara. Why?"

"We can't let anything near this dog. I don't want you to even let them in here for at least a few days." He looked at the blood splattering out of the dog's wounds onto the floor. "The blood carries the Rabies virus in it." He noticed a couple of table cloths that also had blood on them. "We need to burn everything that has any blood on it, so that no animal or human gets rabies from it, and we're going to have to clean that floor thoroughly. We don't want Josie's pets to contract it."

Jack looked around the messy café, then at Elizabeth. "I think it would be best for you to take Abigail and Cody to your house tonight, we can take care of doing the cleaning."

Elizabeth nodded. "I'll be happy to do that." She said as she stood up, then she gave Jack a quick peck on the cheek. "Be careful, please."

"I will." Jack assured her, then he handed Abigail her coat. "I'm just glad that you're okay."

"I'm fine." Abigail stood up and walked to the door that Elizabeth was standing next to. "Are you sure you don't want me to stay and help?"

"We can handle it." Bill assured her, then he pulled out his gloves and put them on his hands."

"Alright. Thankyou Bill, Jack." Abigail nodded at them, then she and Elizabeth walked out the door into the street.

Elizabeth noticed that Abigail was unusually quiet as they walked down to the barn to pick up Cody. No one, other than Jack or Elizabeth had heard the noise, and they were still all hard at work. "Are you alright, Abigail?"

"Yes." Abigail replied, not very convincingly.

"Are you sure?"

She sighed. "Being nearly bitten by a rabid dog is terrifying. Honestly. If Bill hadn't shown up when he did…" Her voice trailed off. "I'm just very lucky, and grateful that he came." She saw Cody running out the door to meet them. "Cody."

Cody saw his mother, and he quickly closed the door behind him. "No, no, no, you don't."

Abigail laughed, her anxiety slowly leaving. "What? What's so secret?"

"If I told you, would it be a surprise anymore?" He said, mischievously as he grinned at her. "Did you come to tell me its bed time?"

"Yes, but we're staying the night at Miss Thatchers."

"Why?"

Abigail looked at Cody. How could she explain what had happened without making her son upset? "Sheriff Avery and Mountie Jack are busy in the café. They have to clean up some mess a dog left behind."

Cody looked at her puzzled. "Dog? I though Jay took Kinchie home."

"He did, it was a different dog. It was a black wolf-dog."

Cody gasped. "I was nearly attacked by a black wolf on the way back this morning. It was big, and mad. It looked really nasty."

"Cody." Abigail used the tone that he knew when she used it, it was a serious matter. "Did that dog bite you, Taffy or Kinchie? I need to know."

Cody thought for a moment. "No, he didn't bite us. I scared him off by throwing a rock at him."

Abigail gave a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness."

Elizabeth looked relieved as well. "It's getting late. I think I'll go tell them to quit for the night." She walked towards the barn, and Abigail started to follow. "Abigail." She looked at her cheekily.

"I get the idea." Abigail replied, then she looked at Cody. "So mysterious."

* * *

Bill was at the wishing tree the next morning, deciding whether to put his wish on the tree that moment or wait a few more days when he heard Abigail walking up behind him."

"Bill, how's band rehearsal going for the Christmas parade?" She asked as she stopped next to him, listening to the carols a few other people were singing.

Bill rolled his eyes. "Ah, let's just say, they're slightly not as bad as they were yesterday."

Abigail noticed a couple of wishes falling off the tree. "Oh, someone's wish is falling."

Bill turned around and caught them, then he read them.

"Whose are they?" Abigail asked as she tried to see over his shoulder.

"One's Jacks. I wish I could spend Christmas with Elizabeth." He read the other wish. "The other's Montana's. I wish I could know Josie's safe, and her to come back."

Abigail gave a sad smile and sighed. "If only we could make them come true."

* * *

"How are we going at the back?" Josie yelled over her shoulder as the girls moved the horses back onto the path, pulling her palomino stallion to a halt.

"The horses are tiring." Amelia replied as her horse stumbled again. "Its just so hard going."

"I know." Josie replied as she looked at the herd of horses making their way through the thick snow. "But we need to be off this mountain before that hits." She waved her hand towards the gathering storm clouds. "If that hits and we're still up there…"

"We're dead." Snow Maiden finished the sentence as she stopped her horse next to Josie. "What we do?"

"We need to move them faster." Josie replied. "Let them rest here for a few minutes, then we need to get moving again."

"How much further do you think it will be until we're off this mountain?" Amelia asked as she tried to grab a drink from her canteen, then she gave a low growl. "It's frozen again."

"here." Snow Maiden handed her the other canteen. "This one isn't."

Josie looked at the map while the girls grabbed a drink. "Its another twenty or so miles to get down into lower lands, but we should be off here in a couple of hours." She looked at the clouds in the faint distance. "I just hope that holds off for a bit longer."

Amelia wiped her mouth and handed the canteen back. "I hope so too. It won't be nice to freeze to death."

"No argument there" Josie folded the map up again, then she looked at the horses, knowing how they felt. "That detour we had to take certainly has thrown us through a loop. I wanted to get home for Christmas, now I just want to get there alive."

"Where we go next?" Snow Maiden asked as they began to move the horses again.

"Nelson Ridge. We should be there in a couple of days." She grabbed her whip out and began to move the horses on again. "Hup, hup, come on. Let's get moving!"

* * *

Over in the barn the kids were all hard at work, most of them working on the Christmas floats, but Robert was working with Jack and Elizabeth on his wish.

"You're doing a great job Robert." Elizabeth encouraged as she walked past him to Jack."

"Thanks Miss Thatcher." Robert replied, not looking up from his work.

"Here you go." Elizabeth said as she passed the other wood to Jack.

"Thanks." He gave her one of the smiles she loved, then she sat down beside him. He finished nailing the piece of wood together, then he paused. "I could look at you all day."

Elizabeth beamed. "You will be."

Jack went back to nailing, then he hit his thumb with the hammer. "Ow."

"Jack." She gave a little chuckle. "Maybe you should just focus on the crib."

"Good idea."

"Its going to be beautiful."

"I'm just aiming for functional."

Elizabeth leant down and looked into Jack's eyes. "Someday, you'll build one of these for our baby."

"Maybe we'll buy one. A nice one." He saw the look she gave him, it would make him do anything for her. "Build it is." She leant in to kiss him.

"How's this?" Robert asked, breaking the moment.

"Looks great." Jack nodded, then waited for the boy to turn back to his work. He looked at Elizabeth, and they both had a little chuckle before he gave her a quick peek on the cheek. "I best get back to it."

Elizabeth giggled. "Don't hit yourself again. I'm going to go check on Abigail."

Jack nodded. "She certainly did have a shock last night with that wolf dog."

"Yes." Elizabeth stood up and grabbed her coat. "The story is all around town now. Good ol' Florence couldn't wait to spread it around. I bet it will be in the newspaper tomorrow. "Retired Mountie Saves the Town Mayor."

"I wonder how Bill will like that."

"If I know Bill, probably not much." Elizabeth gave Jack a smile. "I best get going, or I'll never leave."

* * *

Bill was walking Henry out to the office, the townspeople giving Henry disapproving looks. He noticed the way the people steered clear of him, and the glances they shot his way. "You certainly made you mark Henry."

"I think your enjoying this just a little too much Bill." Henry replied as he walked with his head down.

"We all have our day of reckoning."

"I'm paying for what I did."

"For most of these people, you'll never pay enough." He looked around the town, then he turned back to henry as they walked to the Mayor's office. "The only reason you're here and not in a prison tent is because of Abigail. Speaking of Abigail, she's right in there now with a list of things for you to do."

"Well, I can't wait to get started." Henry replied sarcastically as he walked up the steps and into the office, Bill watching his every move.

Abigail was going over the plans for the Christmas float the later in the afternoon with Hickem, after she had assured both Henry and Elizabeth that she was fine. He was explaining how they were going to decorate the float. "I'll paint the town of Hope Valley in big letters on the side of the wagon, I mean, the float."

Abigail liked the idea. "And this will lead the parade, right?"

"Mhm," He looked at her. "As the mayor, you should be the grand marshal."

"Oh, no. It won't be me." She looked at Henry, making sure he was still at work.

"You deserve it."

"Thank you." She looked again at the plans. "And thank you for your hard work Hickem." Hickem rolled up the plans and left the office, then Abigail began to sort out the rest of her work to finish.

"You seemed to have grown into the job." Henry commented after Hickem had left.

"Oh, I had no choice."

"They all highly respect you."

"Funny how it works when you don't steel from your constituents." Abigail blurted out before she had a chance to think about it. "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for." She sat down and pulled out another paper from her folder. "You've been working hard, why don't you take a break."

"Why did you bring me back here for Christmas Abigail?"

"It seemed like a good idea."

"I'm starting to think that it wasn't." Henry replied as he opened a new can of paint, even his voice had changed, like he had mellowed since he had been away.

"Your opinion is noted for the record." Abigail turned back to her work, flicking through her papers.

"What do you want from me?"

Abigail looked up and paused, thinking of what to say. "I see good in you Henry."

Henry wasn't sure how to take this small acknowledgement that Abigail said. "Maybe you see what you want to see." He turned back to his work, leaving Abigail to ponder her thoughts.

* * *

"That was delicious. Thankyou." Jack complemented Elizabeth as he finished his dinner.

"Is it the recipe, you're the fact that you've been eating out of a tin can for the past six months?" Elizabeth teased.

"It's the cook."

"Hmm." Elizabeth replied cheekily as she picked up the empty plates and took them to the kitchen. "I'm going with the tin can.

Jack stood up to help her, then he noticed the table decorated with their pictures. "Like what you've done with the place."

"Jack." Elizabeth chuckled. "I haven't changed anything since you've been gone." She saw him motion to the table. "Okay." She walked over to him. "I may have added just a few more pictures of you."

"Just a few." Then jack went quiet.

"What's it like up there?" Elizabeth asked after a little while.

"Lonely."

"Even though your surrounded by all your fellow Mounties?"

"Yeh, it's still not home."

"But you think the sacrifice is still worth it."

Jack nodded slowly. "When I see the people, the mothers, the fathers, the children, their lives turned upside down by these gangs and gun runners, it could be anyone, anywhere."

"Even us in Hope Valley."

"That's why I can't let anything else happen to them."

Elizabeth placed her hands-on Jack's shoulders. "I know you'll do whatever it takes to protect them."

"I will."

* * *

Bill was practicing with the Christmas band in the saloon, playing on the terribly out of tune piano to try and help them all play in time together. When they came to the end of the song, Bill sat back and mumbled under his breath to himself. "My kingdom for a flute. Or Josie to take this over."

"And what exactly is your kingdom, the jail?" Rosemary asked as she walked up behind him.

Bill turned around to her. "You play?"

Rosemary laughed. "Of course, I play. I will bring harmony to your melodies," She gave her usual Rosemary flair. "Not as the star, mind you, but like an invisible gravity that pulls everything together."

"I'm starting to regret this already." Bill muttered to himself.

"Where would you like me to sit, maestro?"

"Oh, um." Bill motioned to a chair. "Just in the back, back."

Rosemary bowed. "As you wish."

Bill rolled his eyes as she walked to her place, then he turned back to the piano. "Okay." He began to play the piano again, the group joining in, and much as he hated to admit it, Rosemary did make it sound a whole lot better.

* * *

Josie and the two girls managed to make it off the mountain just before the storm had hit and stayed in the safety of the forest below Horse Shoe Pass, the pass over the mountain they had just come over now was blocked by snow from the blizzard.

Josie shivered as she put another piece of wood onto the fire, the girls trying to keep warm under the little cave of sticks and branches they'd made. "I'm glad we made it here in time." She commented as she handed the girls each a cup of weak coffee.

"I agree." Amelia took the cup. "How much provisions do we have left?"

"Not much." She looked into the almost empty saddlebag. "Enough for three days. Not much to get us to Hope Valley. With the detour we had to take, we still have a hundred miles to go when we reach Nelson Ridge, and with this snow, its going to be a slow trip."

"We can do it." Amelia encouraged. "We can still make it."

"I hope your right." Josie stared into the fire, not wanting to tell the girls that she was exhausted and hadn't eaten for three days. She looked down at her hands, noticing they were starting to turn white, even though she had been wearing gloves. "Because I think I'm starting to get frostbite."

* * *

Abigail was finishing up some work the next night, she had been working late, and she knew that by now Clara would have put Cody to bed. She glanced at the clock, then at henry still working, then back at her papers and sighed. Still there was nothing about Josie, no trace of where she was, no knowledge of even if she was still alive. She was pondering her thoughts when Henry interrupted them.

"Almost done here."

"Bill will be here soon to take you back." Abigail stirred from her thinking and went back to her work, trying not to worry about her missing daughter, but for some reason that she couldn't fathom, something felt like it was wrong.

"Well, wonderful." Henry said with a tint of sarcasm. "He's always such pleasant company."

Abigail stopped herself from chuckling at his little dig at Bill and bit her lip. "Tomorrow you will report to the barn, they could use your help with the floats."

"I'm going to need a vacation when I go back to the detention centre." He tried to make light of the situation.

Abigail smiled at him and tried to go back to her work, but then the door opened and Katie walked in.

"Abigail?" She walked over to her desk. "A telegram came for you."

Abigail looked up at Katie, worrying that it was bad news about Josie, but if it was, wouldn't Bill have told her himself? She stood up and took the telegram from her, dreading what it might contain, but to her relief, it wasn't bad news about Josie, still, though, it wasn't great news. She looked up at Katie, then left the office without a word to either of the people inside.

Henry looked up from his job, thinking that she'd gotten bad news about Josie. "What was that?"

"There was a snow storm in Nelson Ridge, Becky's stuck at the depo."

* * *

Abigail walked into Cody's bedroom the next morning, to make sure he was up, and was surprised to see him already dressed and ready. "Cody."

"Yes?"

"Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure."

"I'm afraid I have a bit of bad news." She walked over to him and sat down on his bed. "Becky will not be home in time for Christmas."

"Why not?"

"There was a snow storm and it delayed her."

"Is she going to be okay?"

"Oh, she's going to be fine, and she'll be here just as soon as they can clear the track."

"It's okay Mom, don't be sad." Cody reassured her. "We'll still have a good Christmas. I promise. Becky and Josie would want us to, wouldn't they?"

Abigail nodded. "They would. You are a very smart young man." She gave Cody a hug and stood up. "Now, let's go get ourselves some breakfast shall we?"

Cody sniffed the air, trying to figure out what they were going to have. "You bet! Pancakes!" He took off out of the room and down the stairs, leaving Abigail to smile at his enthusiasm.

"Kids." She chuckled to herself, getting that faraway look in her eye she had when she thought of Peter and Josie, then she heard a pan drop on the floor in the kitchen. She heard Cody yell out "Sorry" from downstairs and with a little eye roll, she left her thoughts and went down to join him.

* * *

Amelia could see that Josie was getting worse as they rode the horses through the day. Twice she'd ridden up to her and woken her from her little naps she tried to snatch on the horse, since she had been taking the night watch for the last month. She saw Josie get a little tipsy on the horse again and rode over to her. "You okay?"

Josie rubbed her eyes and yawned slowly. "I'm fine." She said, trying to stop her teeth from chattering. It was freezing, and the wind coming down off the mountain only made it feel colder.

"No." Amelia said as for the first time, she realized just how tired Josie really was. "You're not." She stopped her horse, and Josie's horse stopped beside her. She untied a blanket from her saddle and handed it to Josie. "Here, this will help keep you warmer."

"Thanks." Josie wrapped it around herself, then looked back at the trail. Snow Maiden had stopped the horses when she saw that Amelia and Josie had stopped and was waiting on the trail in front of them, but then she rode towards them.

"Josie fine?" Snow Maiden asked as she rode up to them, then she placed her hand on Josie's shoulder. "You freezing."

"I know." She replied, shivering. "I just can't seem to warm up." She tried to take off her gloves to look at the map, but they wouldn't cooperate, stiff and sore from the cold. She looked at Amelia. "Can you grab the map out?"

Amelia nodded, then moved her horse over so she could reach Josie's saddlebag. "Here we go."

Josie looked at the map, trying to figure out their position. "We're twenty miles east of Nelson Ridge." She rubbed her forehead, trying to gather her thoughts. "If we can get to One Tree Ridge, which is about twenty-five miles from here, we can take shelter in the old Cattleman's hut. From there it's only a hop and a skip to the town, where I can send Abigail a telegram."

"You aren't thinking right." Amelia scoffed a tiny bit. "Remember what happened the last time we were going to do that? You almost got yourself killed."

"No." Snow Maiden agreed with Amelia. "Dangerous."

"I know the people in Nelson Ridge. It will be fine, it's nothing like Cheyenne." Josie got the set look in her eye that the girl had learnt meant she meant business. "If I can get word to her, she can cable us some money, and we can have a decent meal and a decent bed until we can leave here and get back."

"What about the horses? We've come so far, are you saying we leave them here?"

"No, the railway has a stock holding pen, we can place them in there." She blew on her hands and rubbed them together, trying to get some feeling back in them. "Sitting here talking isn't going to get us anywhere, let's get moving."

* * *

By now, the floats for the Christmas parade were in the final stages of completion, the people were finishing off their jobs, and were enjoying seeing the fruits of their hard work.

Lee was putting the finishing touches on a fake snowman when Rosemary came into the barn. "Hey sweetheart, what do you think?"

"Oh." Rosemary began to laugh. "Oh, Lee. Even a snowman can look fashionable." She began to point out what she though was wrong with it. "You need to tighten the scarf."

"Ah, okay." He began to fix up the scarf. "Tighten the scarf."

"And tilt the hat slightly to the left."

"Tilt the hat to the left."

"Left."

"The other left?"

"Slightly."

"Just slightly." Rosemary waited until her had fixed it up, then she did her own little finishing touches. "Perfect." She smiled at Lee, then walked off to check on how Hickem was doing with the church model.

Lee leant down next to the snowman. "Welcome to my world, pal." He waved at her, then waved at Jack and Elizabeth before returning to his own work.

Robert was please how his wish was turning out. "It's really starting to look like a crib."

Elizabeth nodded. "Mmhmm."

"Thanks." Jack looked at his work. "I think." He teased a little.

"It's looking beautiful." Elizabeth reassured.

"Do you think the baby's going to like it?" Robert asked, then he turned around as his parents walked in.

"The baby's going to love it."

"We love it." His father added. "It just needs one thing."

"What?"

"Our whole family in on this wish." His mother said as she placed her arm around him.

"Mind if we lend a hand?" He asked Jack.

"That'd be fun."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Jack agreed, then he handed him the hammer and the two men set to work making a little boys Christmas wish come true.

Cody trotted into the barn later than what he had planned, because he had suddenly had a huge appetite when he'd found out Abigail had cooked pancakes. He looked around at the people hard at work, Lee and Jessie putting the snowman onto the wagon, Henry painting one of the props, Elizabeth working on the little wooden log cabin.

"Well?" Elizabeth asked as she looked up at him.

"Think my mum will like all this?"

"She's going to love it."

"It's important."

"I can see that." She looked at Cody. "Would you pass me that can of paint please?"

Clara was watching their conversation with Jesse. "I really love it here in Hope Valley."

"Yeh, it's pretty nice." Jesse agreed as he drank a hot cup of coffee.

"It's full of good men. Like Jack, Bill, Jay, Dr. Shepherd, Lee." She placed her hand on his arm. "You."

"I don't know if I belong in that same category."

"Then you don't see yourself through my eyes."

"I guess I don't." He was about to say more when Elizabeth stood up to speak.

"Alright, if I could have everyone's attention please." She moved into the centre of the room. "Gather round. Thank you." She smiled at the group, but no one noticed Henry quietly gather his hat and coat and leave through the back door, occupied with a little job of his own. "Now that we have nearly completed our tasks, I'm going to be giving out some final instructions…"

* * *

Henry looked around before he opened the door, making sure that no one had seen him leave. Quickly he went out and closed it behind him, then made his way over to Josie's barn. Opening the door, he was met by a chorus of whinny's from the horses inside their stalls, waiting for their breakfast. He walked over to the horse closest to him. "Hey boy, easy, easy." He gave the horse his hand to smell, then offered him an apple he had saved from his breakfast. " I need your help, boy. Do you think we can we friends?" Henry chuckled at himself as he spoke to the horse, wondering what the townspeople would think if they saw him now, talking to a horse like it could understand. "Yes, it's dumb talking to you, you probably can't understand, but I need you to help me. Becky is stuck at Nelson Ridge depo, and I want to get her back here to Abigail, so she will have at least one daughter back for Christmas."

Thowra snorted as he sniffed Henry's hands. This was the man who a few years ago had abused the hell out of him, and here he was asking him for help? To be friends? Thowra looked into Henry's eyes, and he saw something in them he hadn't seen before. Compassion, understanding, love perhaps? Something inside him told him to help Henry, and after he had eaten the apple, he gently placed his muzzle into Henry's hand and whinnied softly.

"I'll take that as a yes." Henry stocked the horse's forelock. "Let's get moving, we have a long ride ahead of us." He walked into the tack room and grabbed Josie's saddle, with everything still on it and was about to turn around to go back to the stall when Thowra trotted in. Thowra stopped in front of him and let him tack him up, then Henry led him out of the barn closest to the forest and got on his back. "Let's do this for Abigail and Becky boy." He gave the horse a pat, then nudged him with his heels. "Git up."

* * *

Bill had just walked out of the general store, he'd been there to see if any word had been sent in about Josie when he saw Abigail standing at the Christmas tree, a wistful look in her eye. "Making a wish, or taking one down?"

Abigail turned around at the sound of his voice. "Waiting for one to come true."

"Your hoping Becky and Josie come home for Christmas."

She nodded. "But I have a feeling that one might be a bit too much to ask for."

"Well, I worked on the wish for Jack, Abigail. I wired Superintendent Collins, nothing he can do. Jack has to go back Christmas Eve."

"You did what you could Bill. For Jack and for Josie."

"Well, maybe. But I don't like when I don't get my way."

"Well, there is still time for you to make a wish." She raised her eyebrow at him as she walked off to work, leaving him to contemplate.

Bill watched her, then looked around to see who else was on the street to make him see his wish. He didn't want them to know that the big, hard, sheriff of the town was going to partake in this, what he thought, absurd little idea, but he decided to do it anyway. He walked over to the box and pulled out an ornament and a pencil and closed the lid, trying to think of what to write down. There was so much he wanted to write, so much he wanted to out down. Hope that Josie would be alive and come back to them one day, Abigail to be happy again, for Abigail to realise that he did have feelings still for her, hope that one day, they would all be together, the kids and Josie included.

It was a big wish to write down as Bill looked at the space he had to write in, then he simply wrote one word on it and placed it on the tree. He had only just placed it up on the tree when Jack and Lee came running up to them.

"Bill. Gowan's escaped."

"When?" All thought of his wish now forgotten.

"I'm not exactly sure." Jack replied

"Must have been when we were doing the floats."

"He's taken a horse too. Thowra."

"Thowra?" Bill couldn't believe it, then he quickly led the two men to the livery.

* * *

"Come on." Henry gently urged the horse with his knees as he looked behind him. "That's it boy, you're doing great." He rode the horse down to the crossroad, then Thowra slid to a stop as he picked the fastest way to Nelson Ridge. "Let's go, yah."

Thowra recognized Josie's command for more sped and he fairly took off like a bullet out of a gun, then Henry reined him in a little. "Not now boy." He looked over his shoulder again. "If they catch on, then you'll have your run."

* * *

Bill had just gotten the last of his supplies out of the Mountie's office when Abigail and Elizabeth ran up to him. "Bill, Elizabeth told me about Henry."

"Once a snake, always a snake." Bill replied as he made sure his rifle was secure in its scabbard.

"I'm sorry, I should have never had you bring him back here."

"Don't beat yourself up about it, although it wasn't one of your more inspiring ideas."

"Is it true took Thowra?"

Bill nodded as he did up the horse's girth. "Colin asked Lee to feed the horses today. He noticed Thowra was missing, along with all his tack, and Josie's gun. He put two and two together." He gave the horse a pat. "He knew he needed a fast horse, and there is none faster then Thowra. I'm just surprised that Thowra let him take him, he must have been making friends with him since he's been back somehow, planning his escape." He walked to the other side of the horse and Abigail knew he considered it closed.

Jack walked over to Elizabeth after he put his rifle in place. "I should have kept a closer eye on him."

"Jack. We were all just working on the floats." Elizabeth reassured.

"Still." Jack wasn't convinced, he gave her a quick kiss, then mounted his horse.

"Be careful."

Bill mounted up just after Jack. "Henry's facing a long prison term. He'll do anything to avoid it."

"What are you saying? Abigail asked as she handed him his gloves he'd forgotten.

"May not end well for him." Bill turned his horse around and he and Jack left, leaving Abigail and Elizabeth to pray that everything would turn out for good.

* * *

Montana looked out the window at the falling snow, quietly mesmerised as the landscape began to get covered in a think layer of snow. She wished that Josie would be home for Christmas, but now she just wished that she would see her alive again. She played with the engagement ring on her finger as she thought of her trip. By the time she had gotten to her sister, her sister's fiancé had already passed on, and then a couple of months later her sister had passed too. She'd organized the land for sale, there was nothing else she had to do, and she'd sold it. She missed Mary-Loo so much, then to come back and find that Josie had gone missing had been such a shock that she hadn't left the house for days.

The sound of the door opening shook her from her thoughts and she turned around to see Abigail walk in, covered in snow.

"Abigail, what are you doing out in this?" She asked as she trotted over to her.

Abigail shook the snow off her cape. "I came to invite you to come stay with Cody and I for Christmas." She walked over to the fire and sat down, Montana following her. "Becky can't make it. The train is blocked, so I thought maybe you would like to come and spend Christmas with us."

Montana nodded. "I'm sorry to hear that." She looked at Abigail. "Yes, I'll come."

Abigail could see that something else was troubling her. "What is it?"

"Nothing."

"I can see its nothing." Abigail gently prodded. "What is it?"

"It just feels unfair that I basically lost both my sisters at the same time." Montana confessed. "I've been feeling so.. Lost.." She stared into the flames of the fire. "I cant imagine what its going to be like without them. Even though I believe Josie is alive, I still cant help feeling this way."

"I understand." Abigail said with sympathy. "Its hard. But we'll get through this together."

Montana nodded, then she changed the subject. "I'll have to bring a couple of my mares down with me, a pack of dogs attacked them yesterday, I'm worried they will come back."

"Jay and Bill went and got rid of them yesterday, so you don't need to worry about that." She stood up and looked out the window. "We best get moving, or we'll both get stuck here."

"Your right. I'll just get a couple of things." Montana quickly grabbed a few changes of clothes and a few other items. "Alright, I'm ready."

Abigail put on her cape as Montana put out the fire. "Oh, I'd better tell you something before you reach town, because otherwise you'll hear the wrong version."

"Oh?" Montana asked as they walked out to where the horses were. "What's happened?"

"I was almost attacked by a rabid wolf last night." Abigail said as she mounted her horse, telling Montana like it hadn't fazed her.

"Wow." Montana didn't know what to say.

"Luckily Bill shot him before he bit me." She nudged her horse forward and Montana followed with the two other horses. "He and Jack even stayed to clean up the café from the damage the wolf caused."

"You were lucky." Montana remarked. "I bet you were terrified."

"I was. Utterly terrified. But its over now." She gave Eagle a pat. "Time to move on."

Montana looked at Abigail with amazement, wondering how on earth she could be so calm about what had happened. "Josie was right."

"Right about what?"

"You don't scare easy."

Abigail chuckled. "Oh, yes. Josie. She tried every trick in the book to scare me last April Fools. She even placed a snake skin in the bottom of my shoe cupboard to try to make me scream. Only think was, she didn't know but I had already seen it. Cody found it. She was so mad that it didn't scare me that she changed the contents of my can of coffee for dirt and I didn't realize that it was dirt and drank a sip. It was awful!"

Montana laughed, then she saw the snow coming down quicker. "We better get these horses moved on. I hope this doesn't turn into a blizzard."

Abigail looked up and saw she was right. "Yeh, your right. Let's get moving."

* * *

By the time that Josie and the girls retched One Tree Ridge Cattleman's Hut, the sun was starting to go down. Josie gave a sigh of relief as she saw the cabin come into view. The wind had died down a bit, so it wasn't as cold as before, but it was still colder than she wished to be out in. She gave her horse a pat as the girls prepared to make the rope coral using the trees to pen the horses in for the night. "I'm going to go down into town."

Amelia looked up at her. "Now?"

"Yes. Now." Josie looked at the sun. "I know the area around here like the back of my hand. Normally, using the road, this is twenty miles from town, but I know a couple of shortcuts. I should be back in a couple of hours."

"No." She walked over to Josie. "You're not going."

Josie's eyes flashed. "I will. And I am. Abigail hasn't heard from me for long enough, it's time that she did."

"One day won't hurt."

Josie gave Amelia the look that silenced her. "I'll be back soon." She picked up the reins in her stiff hands and nudged the horse forward, towards town. Apollo gave a huge sigh and started off at a slow canter, leaving Amelia to silently fume at Josie's impatience.

* * *

Bill and Jack were hot on Henry's trail, riding through the forest that was blanketed in a thick layer of snow. As they rode through the forest, following the tracks that Thowra had left, they could hear the trees cracking and snapping from the weight of the snow and ice.

Jack looked up at a pine tree as they rode under, then he kicked his horse forward to prevent himself from being under it. "Bill! Look out!

Bill looked up and saw the branch snap, then Jerry bolted forward as the branch hit his hindquarters. "Whoa, easy. Steady." He said as he brought the horse to a halt, then he looked at the branch. "Thanks Jack."

"It was nothing." Jack looked up at the sun. "We best get moving again."

Bill nodded "Your right."

The two rode on in silence for another five miles, then Bill felt his horse's gait change slightly. He slowed the horse down, then stopped him and dismounted.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked as he stopped beside him.

Bill lifted Jerry's leg. "He's lost a shoe."

"It only gets rockier and wetter from here." He could see that Bill wanted to go on, regardless of the horse. "Bill, we keep going, your horse is going to go lame."

Bill knew he was right. With an angry sigh, he remounted the horse and turned him back to Hope Valley.

It was almost dark by the time Josie rode into Nelson Ridge. As she looked around the town, she saw that t

* * *

he shops were all closed for the holidays, and no one was around. Pulling the horse up outside the front of the telegram office, she dismounted, if you could call falling off the horse dismounting. She sat up as Apollo nudged her. "I'm okay." She forced herself to her feet, then walked up to the office door, only to realize that the office had closed two hours ago. She gave a huge sigh, then the tantalizing smell of food cooking made her look in the opposite direction.

She saw a restaurant that was open. Bingo. Where there was food, there would be rubbish. She picked up the horses reins and led him down near the alleyway the noise from the saloon next door spooking the horse a little. "Whoa, sssh." She whispered gently, then she tied him up and walked further in. Quietly as she could, she opened the garbage can and began to look for something to eat. "Bingo." She whispered as she pulled out a stale loaf of bread.

"Bingo indeed." A voice behind her growled, making her spin around in terror. "I've been waiting a long time for this."

Josie tried to retch for her gun, but her hands where too stiff to cooperate. The two men terrifying her. She struggled to keep her voice calm. "Who are you?"

"Let's just say." The man grabbed the pistol off her. "I've been tracking you the whole time. Waiting for a chance to get you." He grabbed her arm. "You're coming with me."

Josie was too tired to argue, too exhausted, but she planted a good kick on his shin. "Help! Help!" She looked around desperately to see if anyone had heard her, but no one had. To be so close to getting home, then to have this happen was just to much…

* * *

Becky was so glad to see Henry waiting to pick her up from the hotel after the lady at the counter had told her he was there to take her to Hope Valley. "Mr. Gowan!

"Hi Becky." Henry grabbed her bag and looked at her. "You've grown up."

"Thanks." Becky followed him out of the hotel to where he had tied Thowra. "You rode Thowra?" She asked in disbelief.

"When I told him that I needed his help, he seemed to understand. Silly, isn't it?"

"No." Becky gave the horse a pat. "It's not. He's not as dumb as people think."

Henry mounted the horse, then gave Becky a hand up. "Let's get you back to Hope Valley." He gently nudged the horse forward, then Thowra stopped and pricked his ears. "What is it boy?"

Becky looked around, then she saw a palomino horse trying to get loose. "Mr. Gowan, over there."

Henry saw the horse and he rode Thowra over to him. Becky hopped off so he could dismount and she grabbed Thowra's reins as Henry tried to calm the other horse down. "Woah, easy."

"Help!"

Becky and Henry both heard the shout, and it sent Thowra neighing wildly. "You stay here, calm him down." Henry said as he ran down the dark alleyway.

Faintly, in the darkness, he could make out a two men trying to arrest a girl, then, as a cloud moved away from the moon, he could see in the faint light that it was Josie. "Leave her be!"

The man turned to Gowan and flung Josie down beside the dustbin, where she remained, cowering. "And who's going to stop us?"

Henry quickly came up with a lie. He was good at that, but for once, it was used for good. "Her uncle." He pulled Josie's colt out of his pocket. "I said, leave her be."

The two men began to back up as Gowan slowly walked forward. "Now, tell me the meaning of this."

The man nearest Henry was backed into a fence, looking at Gowan holding a gun at him. "A simple case of mistaken identity."

Henry stared at him, he knew that they knew he was very angry. He struggled to keep him voice even, from strangling the life out of them then and there. "In that case, I suggest you two get out of here. Now."

They both put up their hands. "We're going." They began to back out of the alley they way they had come. Henry waved the gun to make them move faster. "We're going." When they came to the street, they turned around and fled into the shadows, not looking back at Henry who still had the gun in his hand, a satisfied look in his eyes.

He put the gun away and walked back to Josie, who was still cowering beside the dustbin, hiding her face. He knelt down and gently touched her shoulder, feeling her flinch at his touch. "Are you okay?"

Josie looked up at him. "Yes." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "Thank you." She looked around, making sure the men were gone. "What are you doing here?"

"Becky got stuck her because of a snow storm. I came to get her and take her back. I know a shortcut between here and Hope Valley. We can be back in a couple of hours if I use a few others."

"And they let you?"

"No." Henry turned a little red. "I took off." He looked around the alleyway, then he saw the bread Josie had been planning on eating, it coming to him what had happened. "They don't know I left."

"They would now."

"Yes, they would." He gave Josie his hand. "Here, I'll help you up."

"Thanks." Josie struggled to her feet, then leant against the side of the building for a moment to regain her balance.

Henry looked at her with concern. "You're not okay, are you?"

"I'm just tired." She leant against him as they walked out. "Its been a long trip."

Becky saw them coming, then she saw it was Josie. "Josie!"

Josie looked up. "Becky!"

Henry watched the two girls as they embraced, tears running down their cheeks. He decided to let them have their moment, then he saw the open restaurant and knew what he should do. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the last money he had in the world, a sliver quarter. He contemplated the change that had taken place inside him. During the time he'd already spent in jail, he had slowly begun to change, a quiet result of his boredom forcing him to read the only book he was allowed. The Bible. He smiled as he thought of what he would have done in this situation only a few years ago. God had changed his life for the better, now it was time to do some good for a change. Quietly he slipped away and went into the restaurant, leaving the two girls on the street.

"What are you doing here?" Becky asked as the two girls sat down on the porch of the general store.

"Long story." Josie sighed. "I'll tell you later." She looked around and noticed Henry was no longer in sight. "Where did he go?"

Becky looked around and saw that what she'd said was true. "I have no idea." She was about to say more when Henry reappeared, from the restaurant. "There he is."

Henry walked over to them and handed Josie a tray with a bowl of soup, some bread and a mug of coffee. "Here, this will warm you up."

Josie tried to take the mug, but her hands wouldn't cooperate. She kept trying and forced them to work, taking her time to eat the food that he'd brought her. When she was finished she looked up at him. "Thank you."

Henry saw the gratitude in her eyes, and it made him feel good, something that he hadn't felt before. "Glad you liked it." He picked up the empty tray. "I'll just take this back, and we can get going."

"Okay." Josie nodded, then they waited for him to come back.

Thowra nuzzled Josie with his muzzle, finally getting the chance to show her he'd missed he. Josie gently ran her hand over his face as he pressed against her. "Hey boy. You miss me?" His answer was a gentle whinny, then he nudged her again and nibbled her hair.

"Ready to go?" Henry asked as he came back.

Josie and Becky nodded, then Josie got to her feet stiffly and tried to get on Thowra, but she was too tired to even get on him. She felt herself falling, and tried to hold on harder, then she felt someone give her a push up. As she looked around, she saw Henry mounting the horse behind her. "Thanks."

"Your welcome." He replied, then wrapped his arms around her and grabbed the reins, then looked at Becky. "You okay to ride the other horse?"

Becky nodded as she mounted. "I'll be fine."

Josie knew there was something she had to remember, but she couldn't figure it out. As they rode out of the town on their way back to Hope Valley, she remembered what it was. "Mr. Gowan, we need to stop for a moment."

Henry was a bit puzzled. "Why?"

"Long story." Josie shivered as a cold gust of wind blew through. "I need to grab a couple of friends before we leave here, they're up at Cattleman's Hut."

"Alright." He turned Thowra in the direction of the cabin and Becky followed close behind. When they got to the cabin, Josie could see the girls had a fire going, and she saw that the horses had all been taken care of. Shame to tell them they're work was unnecessary now.

"Amelia, Snow Maiden." Josie called out as Henry stopped the horse.

The two girls walked out of the cabin, then looked in astonishment at Josie being held by a man on her horse.

Amelia marched up to them. "What's going on?" She asked, not quite nicely either.

Josie caught on to her tone. "Its okay, Amelia. This is a man from my hometown, he's going to take us back to Hope Valley."

"Tonight?"

"Yes. He says he knows a short cut. It will only take a couple of hours."

Amelia still wasn't convinced. "And you trust him?"

"Yes, I do." Josie replied adamantly, not noticing the look of amazement on Henry's face. "We don't have much stuff, it can just be left here. Grab the horses, and let's go home."

Henry looked at the horses in the coral. "Those horses?"

"Another long story." Josie considered the matter closed as she watched Snow Maiden and Amelia quickly tack up their horses, and then they mounted and let the horses out of the coral.

"We move now." Snow Maiden said as she rode over to Josie and Henry. "Storm coming."

"Right." Henry nudged Thowra forward, still holding Josie with one arm. "Follow me, Becky, you stay beside us. Let's go."

They rode through the forest in relative silence, the only sound being the horse's hooves crunching the snow and the occasional cracking of the trees that were breaking under the weight of the snow and ice. The night was pitch black, with only a hint of a full moon shining through the trees, and the wind began to pick up.

Thowra galloped confidently through the snow, ears pricked and eyes wide searching for anything that could trip him up. The rest of the horses followed his lead, then they had to slow to a canter as the snow began to come down more heavily. No one talked as they rode on, each to worried about being cold, and it was getting colder by the minute as they began the climb that would make the return trip shorter.

The horse bunched closer together as they ran through the heavily wooded path, trying to stay as warm as possible, making it easier on Amelia and Snow Maiden. They cantered on and on, going higher and higher up the mountain towards Hope Valley, moving as fast as they possibly could.

Josie shivered from the cold as the snow came down heavier, making it harder to see the trail ahead, and mixed with the fact that it was night, they had to slow down further. "How much longer?" She asked, her teeth chattering. "It's getting colder."

Henry looked around for the path, then he pulled the horse to a stop. "Hold up, stop the horses." He dismounted Thowra and knelt down, beginning to try and dig some of the snow away to try and find the trail, then he felt the road beneath it. "We're on the right path still." He remounted the horse, noticing that Josie had stopped shivering. "Are you alright, Josie?"

Josie nodded. "I'm okay, I'm just freezing. How much longer?"

"Only a couple more miles." He untied the blanket from off Thowra's saddle and wrapped it around both of them, trying to shelter Josie from the wind as much as he possibly could. "Hang in there, well be back soon." He nudged Thowra forward, and the girls and the horses followed suite, till they got to a crossroad in the path. "Langara's down there."

Josie yawned as she looked down the path to her ranch, then she got an idea. "Snow Maiden, Amelia, take the horses down there. That's the road to my ranch. Tell Matt I sent you, and to put you up for the night."

Amelia and Snow Maiden nodded, then moved on with the horses down the road, Josie, Henry and Becky watching them leave, then Henry looked up at the sky. "Looks like the snow is clearing a little." He nudged the horse on again, Becky following close behind.

Josie fought to keep her eyes open, but she was so tired. She knew she really shouldn't go to sleep, but the cold, mixed with her fatigue, got the better of her. She closed her eyes, then before she knew it, she was fast asleep.

As they came out of the forest, Henry saw the lights of Hope Valley. He looked down at Josie, and gently shook her to wake her. "Josie, your home."

* * *

Abigail and Cody were clearing away the rest of the tables in the café that night, while Montana was upstairs working on a little present for Cody.

"Cody, I was thinking we should have a special desert for Christmas Eve. What would you like?"

"Can we have pumpkin pie?"

"Becky and Josie's favourite."

"It would kind of make it fell like they were here with us."

"Pumpkin pie it is." She agreed as they were about to take the dishes to the kitchen, then the door opened, and Florence ran in.

"Oh, you've got to come and see this."

Cody and Abigail looked at each other, then placed the plates on the nearest table with a loud crash that startled Montana upstairs and ran out after Florence.

"He came back." She looked in the direction that the three people were coming into town.

Cody, Abigail and Florence looked at each other in amazement as they came into the light."

"Woah, woah." Henry said as he stopped Thowra in front of the café, then he got off and helped Josie dismount.

Abigail and Cody's faces lit up with amazement. "Josie! Becky!"

"Ma!" Josie said with excitement as she hugged Abigail tight. "I never thought I'd make it back here for Christmas."

"Oh, sweetheart! I never thought I'd see you ever." Abigail replied as tears ran down her face. "Oh Josie." She hugged the girl, not able to believe this was real. "I'm so glad you're alright."

Becky and Cody looked on with smiles as they watched Josie and Abigail's reunion, then they both ran in and joined the hug.

"I've missed you Josie." Cody exclaimed.

"I've missed you to, buddy." Josie said as she felt the love that they had for her. "I'm back." She let go of Becky and Abigail and gave Cody a hug, then she gave a contented sigh. It was good to be home.

Jack and Elizabeth were walking over from the tree when they saw the little group in front of the café, then Bill joined them as they walked over.

Abigail and Becky had their own hug, then Becky began to explain. "Mr. Gowan came to get me, and we found Josie in the bargain."

"I heard she was stuck in Nelson Ridge depo." Henry said as he gathered Thowra and the palomino's reins and led them over to Abiagil. "I went there once with Ray Whyatt, he showed me a shortcut. As we were leaving, I found Josie too."

Abigail was overwhelmed by what he had done. "Thanks you, Henry." She said as she gave him a hug to.

Henry wasn't sure what to make of it. "No need to make a big deal about it."

"Oh, it's a big deal, Henry. It's a very big deal."

Bill walked over to Henry and gave Thowra a pat. "I'll put a pot of coffee."

"That would be great, Bill." Henry said as he handed the blanket to Josie. "We best get these two looked after first though." He and Bill began to lead them to the little two horse stable Josie had behind the café.

"Merry Christmas, Henry." Abigail said as she placed her arm around Josie.

"Thank you for bringing Becky and Josie back to us." Cody added.

"Thank you, Mr. Gowan." Becky also thanked him.

Josie smiled at Henry. "Thanks for looking after the horses for me. I really couldn't do it right now."

Henry wasn't used to so much gratitude. "Pleasure." He gently led the horses forward again, Bill by his side.

"I don't think I'll ever understand you Henry." Bill said as he opened the door to the horses stable.

"You and me both." Henry added as he pulled the saddle off Thowra and grabbed a brush that was sitting on the rack. "I know what you were thinking when I went missing."

Bill nodded, he was glad that for once he was wrong. "I owe you an apology, Henry. I really did think you stole Thowra to make your getaway. I'm glad I was wrong."

"You don't owe me an apology. I know with my track record, that you all would think that I had made a run for it." He placed Thowra's rug on him and gave him a small feed of oats. "You earnt them today, boy."

"One question henry."

"How did I find Josie?"

"Yes." Bill closed the door on the palomino's stall and they walked back over to the warmth of the jail.

"I'll tell you in a moment." Henry said as he realized that he still had Josie's gun on him. "I need to give you this." He handed her gun to him.

"What were you doing with that?" Bill took the gun quickly from his hand.

"I took it as precaution, nothing more. I heard about that wolf attack and I wanted something to protect myself in case there were more. I hope you can return it to her for me."

Bill motioned for Henry to go into his ceil. "I can do that." He grabbed the kettle off the stove and pored them a cup of coffee each. "Now, about Josie."

"I had just picked up Becky and we were riding out of town when we saw a horse getting upset outside the saloon and it was trying to get away, so we went to go calm him, then I heard a girl yelling for help down an alleyway. She was being held by two men, and they weren't exactly good men. I realized it was Josie, so I scared the two men off, complements of Josie's pistol."

"Did you get a look at them?"

"Not really, it was to dark. But they weren't fooling around, they wanted her for a reason." Henry finished his story. "I'm just glad I stopped them."

"I'm glad too." Bill was quite surprised at what Henry did. "You could have been killed yourself."

"I know." He went quiet for a moment. "I wasn't even thinking of that when I stopped them from hitting her. All I could think about was how much Abigail missed her, and how terrified Josie was. I wasn't even worried about myself."

Bill nodded. "I can understand that. I would have done the same thing if I was in your place." He looked at the clock. "You best get some sleep. It's getting late."

"What about you? Are you going over to see Josie now?"

"No, I'll let Abigail and them all get reacquainted, I'll see her in the morning." He put another log on the fire, then went to his desk to finish of a couple more things he had to do.

* * *

Abigail was so excited that Josie was back as they walked into the café, she still couldn't get over the shock that Josie and Becky were both back for Christmas. She looked at Josie and saw how cold she looked. "Let's get you warmed up, but first, I have a surprise for you."

Josie looked at her rather shocked. "Surprise?"

Abigail nodded. "Hey, you can come down." She called up the stairs Montana, then winked at Josie.

Montana heard Abigail call her and raised her eyebrow, but she left what she was doing and started down the stairs, then Montana saw Josie sitting beside the fire with Abigail, Becky and Cody. "Josie!"

"Montana!" Josie shrieked. "Where on earth did you come from?"

"I came back her last week." Montana gave her sister a hug. "You had me so worried."

"I'm guessing I had everyone worried, haven't I?" Josie tried to make a little joke about the situation. "At least I know I'm liked."

"Liked?" Abigail teased. "Loved to the moon and back is more like it."

Montana laughed. "Yes, that's more like it. We have so much to talk about, but that's going to have to wait for a bit." She looked at the clock. "It's getting late."

"Yes, Miss Hale is right." Abigail agreed. "Off to bed, Cody, you have a big day tomorrow."

"Yes Ma." Cody gave Josie another hug. "I'm so glad to see you."

"I'm glad to see you too, little brother. Off you go now, I'll still be here tomorrow."

Becky stood up and out her arm around Cody. "I'll come to bed with you, I'm tuckered."

"Will you read me a story?"

"Alright. A short one." Becky gave Abigail and Josie a hug. "Night."

"Goodnight." Abigail watched them go upstairs, then she turned to Josie. "Your freezing, aren't you?"

"I am." Josie said as she let down her guard. "Plum freezing." She took off her gloves as she tried to warm her hands, and Abigail saw how white they were.

"Frostbite." Abigail exclaimed gently as she saw them. "How long have they been like this?"

"A day or so. It got really cold on they way from Lethbridge to Nelson Ridge, I couldn't get warm."

"No wonder." Montana gently reprimanded Josie. "Your so skinny, you wouldn't be able to get warm. What happened to you?"

"Long story." Josie said. "Can we save it for tomorrow?"

Montana nodded. "I'm going to go to bed now. Goodnight, Joey."

Josie gave Montana the little stern look at the mention of her little nickname. "Night, Monty." She teased back as Montana left the room.

"You really are freezing." Abigail said as she helped Josie get out of her coat. "I hope you don't have hypothermia, you're not shivering."

"I'm starting to warm up now." Josie said as she finished the cup of hot chocolate. "Henry offered me his coat on the way here, but I told him he needed it more then I did. I wasn't about to make him freeze to. He even got me a meal before we left Nelson Ridge."

"Henry fed you too?" Abigail asked, rather shocked. "I'm surprised."

"He must have seen me going through the bin to find something to eat. I've been starving." Josie handed Abigail the mug. "Can I have another?"

"Sure." She refilled the mug, then grabbed Josie some hot biscuits. "Here, you can have these too."

"Thanks." Josie quickly ate them, then she looked at Abigail. "I'm so glad to be back."

"I know you are." Abigail went to go upstairs. "You stay by the fire, I'm going to go get you a change of clothes."

"Alright." She replied, then she sat staring into the fire, absorbed in her thoughts, then she heard Abigail return. "Your going to have to help me get these buttons undone. My fingers won't cooperate."

"Sure." Abigail placed the clothes on the chair next to the fire and began to unbutton Josie's dress, then she saw the huge scars caused by the gashes from the whipping McCallister's had given Josie on her back, and gently traced them with her finger. "Honey, what happened?"

Josie stiffened up. "Can you just please help me change?"

"Josie?"

"No! Don't ask me about it!" Josie snapped, then she went quiet. "I only want to have to talk about it once. Can you please just help me, then I need to tell you and Bill at the same time. It will be easier on me. Please?"

Abigail saw the pleading in Josie's eyes. "Alright." She helped her change into clean clothes, then she handed Josie her woollen cape. "Are you sure about this?"

"I am." Josie said as she stood up. "I need to get this off my chest."

"Okay, if your sure." Abigail put her own coat on, then the two of them walked over to the Mounties office. She opened the door and looked inside and saw Bill at his desk. "Bill?" She said gently, noticing that Henry was asleep.

Bill looked up. "Abigail, do you know what hour this is?"

Abigail and Josie walked in. "I know what the time is, but Josie needs to talk to you."

"Josie?" Bill looked into her eyes, seeing the emotional pain that she was bottling up inside. "Here, come sit beside the fire."

Josie nodded, and took off her cape and sat down next to him, her head down.

"Josie?"

Josie looked at Abigail. "Can you please…?" Her voice broke before she finished the sentence, but Abigail understood what the request was. She gently undid the buttons and Josie turned around to show Bill her back, silent tears running down her face.

"Oh, honey." Bill whispered quietly to Josie. He didn't know what else to say, so he decided to let Josie start.

Josie waited till Abigail had redone up her dress, then she turned back to Bill, Abigail grabbing a chair and joining them around the stove. Quietly she began her story. "McCallister grabbed me when I went away from Colin to dig for earthworms. I tried to fight him off, but he was to strong, then he threatened me with a gun, so I stopped fighting. He put me on his horse, and I tried to get Colin's attention, then McCalliseter shot him." She paused for a moment. "He knocked me out, I don't remember what happened for I don't know how long, but when I woke up, I was on a train."

Bill and Abigail nodded as Josie stopped talking for a moment, taking in what Josie had just said.

"He was taking me to Helena. I was so scared. I tried to make a run for it that night. I was almost to the sherriff's office of Helena when McCallister caught me again, and he knocked me out again. When I came too…" Her voice broke and she started to cry again, then Bill gently took her hands in his.

"Go on." He gently encouraged. "You're doing fine."

"When I came to, he gave me the whipping and beating off my life, I was sure I was going to die from it. He didn't even worry about cleaning the wounds he caused on my back, and he didn't feed me either. When we got to Denver, he took me to his house and locked me in a room, on the third story of the house. Then a servant girl, Amelia told me what he was planning on doing with me. He was going to send me to England to be brought as a wife." Josie put her head down, trying to keep it together somewhat. "She told me how she planned to help me escape, so escape we did. We stole everything we needed, horses, guns, you name it, then took off. Then Amelia and I went and hid in a cave and I went to send the horses in another direction so that they would be led away from us, with the intent to catch a couple of wild horses to rid. But McCallister found me again. He and his men. They tried to kill me. They chased me, shooting at me. I tried to get away, using rocks and trees to hide behind, then there was a huge thunderstorm and I lost my footing. I fell into a gully. I don't remember what happened, but I know I woke in a cave with Amelia and an Indian girl. They told me she saved me. I was rather sick for a couple of days from the infection of my wounds, and we tried to get word back to you from (find town) but." She paused for a moment, feeling embarrassed about what happened. "I had no idea that the town was what it was. A man there tried to make advances at me, and we ended up having to hightail it out of town as fast as we could."

"What happened then?" Bill gently asked, none of them noticing that Henry had been listening in on the entire conversation.

"Amelia and Snow Maiden and I decided not to even try again to get word back, as we wanted to stay away from town." She didn't mention the real reason, that is was because she had killed a man, and if they had gone into a town, she would have been caught. "So, we made tracks to ride back to here. Cut a long story short, there wasn't much to say about what happened till last week except that we brought back a herd of wild horses with us. Which was stupid, I know." Josie paused and looked at Abigail. "All I wanted was to get back to you, so we drove the horse's day and night to get back here. Outside Lethbridge, when I went to scout ahead, I feel asleep on the horse, and he fell and broke his shoulder, so I had to put him down. It was a ten mile walk back to where the others were, and it was snowing hard. I managed to get back to camp, and we took it slow the next few days because of the snow. We went to make camp at the Cattleman's Hut, just outside Nelson Ridge, then I went into town to steal food."

"Steal food?" Bill questioned. "Didn't you take provisions?"

"We did, but they were running out. The girls didn't know it, but I had been giving them my share of the food for the last month, and I had been sneaking off to find whatever I could in the rubbish bins in the towns. That was what I was doing in Nelson Ridge today, when I was stopped by two other men. I don't know what they wanted." She lied, not wanting to tell them she knew exactly why they wanted her, hopefully all that was behind her now, surely no one else knew about what had happened. "Henry stepped in and drove them off, then he brought me food as well. It's the only square meal I've had for over two weeks." Josie broke down again crying. "I was just so exhausted, so emotionally spent that I even wished sometimes it would just end, just so that I didn't have to go on. I've just been so tired of being strong, when all I want is just some rest. I know McCallister won't give up until I'm dead. He said so. He will still be after me, I know it." She looked at Abigail. "He wants revenge. And I was it." Josie stopped talking, and began to sob uncontrollably, all of her pent up anger, hurt, fear and pain finally able to let it all out.

Abigail and Bill held her as she cried, looking at each other, realizing just how much she had been through. Abigail gently stroked Josie's hair, hoping that it would help somewhat. She just didn't know what else to do. She looked at Bill, the helplessness in her eyes asking him for advice.

Bill looked down at Josie, wishing he could say something to ease her pain. "Ssssh, honey, its going to be alright, your going to be alright." He gently squeezed her hands to reassure her. "You're going to be fine. McCallister is in jail, he can't hurt you anymore. You've made it this far by yourself, now you have us to help you."

Josie slowly calmed down and stopped crying, just enjoying the feeling that she was safe in their arms. "I'm sorry, I just needed to let it out."

"I know, sweetheart." Abigail said as she gave Josie and handkerchief to blow her nose. "But you're here with us now, safe. No one can hurt you again with us here. Your going to be alright now."

"Your ma's right." Bill agreed, controlling his anger about what McCallister had put this girl he thought of as a daughter through. He vowed to make sure that McCallister spent the rest of his life paying for what he had done to her. "I'm not going to let anything else happen to you."

"Thank you." Josie said as she looked at Bill, the pure gratitude and relief of knowing she was safe showing in her expression. "You don't know how much that means to me."

"How about you go and try to get some sleep now." Bill said as he gently brushed to remain tears from her cheeks. "There's only two days left till Christmas, and everyone is going to be so happy to see you. You really do need some rest, honey."

"I know." Josie nodded as she stood up. "Hopefully I can get some sleep. Are you going to come now, Abigail?"

"No, you go on ahead. I want to speak to Bill." Abigail replied as she helped Josie put her cape on. "I won't be long though."

"Alright. Night Bill." Josie said as she closed the door behind her, then made her way to the café.

Abigail turned around and looked at Bill as she sat down. "That poor child. What she's been through must have been utterly terrifying. She's totally an emotional mess. What on earth can I do to help her? I can only imagine how she's feeling right now."

"The first thing we're doing." Bill replied, even surprising himself at the tone of voice he used. "Is making sure that McCallister never sees the outside of his ceil again. He's abused Josie so much, she'll never get completely over what he's done to her. I can honestly say, I've never hated a man as much as I do McCallister." He screwed up a piece of paper in his anger. "If only I could have stopped him from taking her in the first place, this all would never have happened."

"We had no warning, there was nothing we could do." Abigail replied, rather defeated. "I'm going to get Carson to check her over tomorrow, with what she's been through, she could be very sick now. Not eating hardly a thing for nearly a month, she's starved."

Bill nodded. "That would be a good idea. The first thing I'm going to do tomorrow is send a wire to my magistrate friend and fill him in on what else has happened. I hate that Josie's going to have to go through it all again at court, but if it means that McCallister can be locked away for life, it will be worth it."

"She's going to have to testify against him?" Abigail was a little shocked at what he was instigating. "Can you imagine what it will do to her?"

"I know, but without it, he will be free in a couple of years, and neither of us can do a thing about it without adding these charges against him." Bill looked at Abigail. "You know all I want is the best for her."

"I know."

"All we can do is be there for her and love her. It's the only thing that will help her through it."

"Your right." Abigail looked at the clock and saw that it was now past midnight. "I must go, it's getting late."

"Alright." Bill stood up and got Abigail's coat for her. "I'll see you in the morning."


	22. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 **So, i wasnt planning on doing any more on this, but when i got three very encouraging reveiws from people (shout out to Ybdavila, HippieChic81 and Guest) i decided to continue for your sakes.**

 **A friend also told me when i get upset about not getting reviwes, that its their problem, not my writing, so its given me some of my determination back.**

 **I dont know when i'll review next as i have 2 music exams in a few weeks. Piano and Violin 6th grade, to those who understand what that means. To those who dont, there's only 8 grades, soooo, figure it out! I'm under a lot of pressure and stress at the moment, so only encouraging reviews! PLEASE!**

 **Anyway,enjoy**

* * *

It was nearly nine in the morning when Abigail walked back into their bedroom to wake up Josie. She had let her sleep in, but she knew that Josie needed to get up, and she had people downstairs who were very excited that Josie was back. She walked over and sat down beside Josie's bed. "Josie?" She stroked Josie's hair back off her forehead. "It's nearly nine o'clock."

Josie groaned and opened her eyes. "Alright, I'm getting up." She yawned, then coughed loudly. "Ouch."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She lied. "Just sore and tired. And hungry." She tried to make light of it. "Can I get room service?"

"Nope." Abigail chuckled. "You can come downstairs to eat." Then she turned serious. "Were you able to get any sleep?"

Josie shook her head as she laid her covers aside and sat up. "Not much, but a little." She tried to move her fingers, but they still wouldn't cooperate. "I can't believe I'm so cold."

Abigail placed her hand on Josie's shoulder. "You are cold." She stood up and grabbed Josie some warmer clothes. "Here, this will help."

"Thank you." Josie tried to take them, but her hands where so cold that she couldn't hold them. She looked up at Abigail, defeat and pain in her eyes.

Abigail read what she was asking. "I'll give you a hand." She helped Josie into the clothes, then gave her a pair of her warmer gloves to wear. "Feeling better now?"

Josie nodded. "Yes." She remained quiet, and Abigail could see that Josie was scared, but scared of what?

"Your not okay, are you?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Josie replied as she looked away. "Please, just let me be."

"Alright, we don't have to talk about it." Abigail quickly made Josie's bed before they left the room. "But if you ever need to, you know I'll listen."

"Thank you." She whispered as they walked down the stairs, then as she looked up, she saw the entire café filled with the townspeople.

"Welcome home, Josie!" They said in unison.

Josie was so surprised, she didn't know what to say. She looked at Abigail, then at Bill, who was standing with Henry at the edge of the room. He nodded at her, giving her reassurance that everything would be okay. She looked back at the people gathered around her. "Thank you everyone, but this wasn't really necessary."

Montana laughed as she walked over and put her arm around Josie. "Honey, when someone as special as you has been gone for so long, of course we'd all want to see you."

Josie looked at the crowd of people. Her friends. She felt so confused and out of place, she just didn't know what to do. She knew she had to say something, they were expecting it, but she felt so, uncertain, frightened. The strong girl that she had been before was no longer the girl she was now. "Its good to be back."

"We're glad your back." Opal said as she ran over to Josie. "Brownie's missed you."

This made Josie chuckle a little as Opal gave her a hug. "Has he now? Well, we'll have to fix that, wont we?" She saw Opal nod. "How about you and I have a tea party here with Brownie later?"

"Could we?" Opal asked excitedly.

"We sure can, if that's okay with Miss Abigail." Josie looked at her Ma.

"That's fine by me."

"Great!" Opal exclaimed, then trotted off to join the crowd who had dispersed around the table Abigail had placed some food on.

Josie looked at Abigail and Montana. "Where's Cody and Becky?"

"They're off working on something." Abigail replied with a glint in her eye. "I'm sworn to secrecy."

"Hmmm." Josie replied, with just a little glint of wonder in her eye, then Bill came over with a plate of food for her.

"Here you go, Josie."

Josie looked at Bill, then the plate, then her hands. They still were to sore and stiff to move. She looked at Bill, and he understood.

"I'll keep it warm for you."

"Thank you." She whispered, then she saw Jack and Elizabeth standing off to one side and walked over to them, Abigail beside her. "Jack, when did you get back?"

"A few days ago." Jack replied as he smiled at her. "Looks like it's the season for people to be returning here."

"Looks like it." Josie gave a shy smile as she saw the joy on Elizabeth's face at having Jack back. "How's Rebel Yell?"

"As naughty as ever." Jack said with a laugh. "That horse is the biggest trickster of all of my group. He even taught Sargent to how to undo his hobbles, so now we have to keep the horses tied, and hobbled."

"I'm glad to hear he's doing good. He certainly is attached to you, running off the way he did when you left."

"Yes, how did he get out by the way?"

"Broke his halter, undid his hobbles and jumped through the window of the barn."

Elizabeth momentarily interrupted. "I'm just going to grab a bite to eat."

Jack nodded, and then he turned back to Josie. "I'm in debt to you for that horse Josie. Nothing could pay you back enough for him. He's saved us quite a few times from being ambushed, he knows when there's someone around that shouldn't be."

Josie looked at Jack. "I'm glad to hear that. He's his father's son alright." She thought of Thowra, and decided that it would be the best excuse to get away. All she wanted was to be alone, to gather her thoughts, and process everything that had happened. "Talking about Thowra, I really should go see him. Excuse me."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Abigail asked as Josie walked away.

"No, its fine." Josie replied as she, rather awkwardly, opened the door and slipped away from the crowd. The snow had stopped falling, and there was a thick layer of whiteness covering the landscape, but Josie wasn't thinking about that as she entered the little stable. She walked over to Thowra and hugged him. "Its to much boy. Its too much." She whimpered. "They haven't the faintest idea of what I'm dealing with right now. They don't understand. They expect to see the girl who never gives in, who is always strong when she is challenged, but I'm so tired of being strong. I'm so tired of pretending everything is okay, when it's not." She wiped her eyes with her gloves and coughed again, then she gave Thowra a pat the best she could. "I just wish they could understand. I just want to be alone."

"No." A voice said as a man entered the barn. It was Bill. "You don't." He walked over to her. "Your scared and exhausted." He put his arm around her. "Come, we'll go over to the office and we can talk. Its warmer in there."

Josie didn't argue with him, instead she let him lead her out of the stable and over to the office. She felt so tired, so drained, that she didn't look where she was going, and she stumbled on a rock hidden in the snow. She didn't even try to stop herself from falling, but then she felt Bill grab her and without a word, he picked her up and carried her the rest of the way.

Bill placed her down at the door of the office and opened the door for her, then closed it behind them. He took off his hat and coat before sitting down with Josie at the fire. He grabbed the plate of food off the table and placed it on Josie's lap, then placed the fork in her hand. "No one is here to watch you. You can eat with out getting embarrassed. I know it was a bit of a shock for you to come downstairs and see everyone."

Josie nodded as she gingerly began to eat her warm breakfast. "I was just, so surprised. I hope they don't mistake it for me being snooty or anything like that, I just…" She didn't know how to finish the sentence.

"Its okay." Bill reassured her. "It's going to take awhile for you to get over what you've been through. Just take it steady, one minute at a time. I understand how your feeling. Your feeling like you just want to give in, just give up, and let it all be done with. Your tired, emotionally and physically, and you just want a break from everything. You wish everything could go back to the way it used to be, like a giant clock that you could turn the hands back and start over."

Josie looked at him with amazement. He had said exactly everything she was struggling with. She looked back down at her plate as she took another mouthful of her scrambled eggs. When she looked back at him, she had tears in her eyes. "How do you know how I feel?"

"Because I've been there." Bill said gently. "I know what its like. And so does Abigail. She's really worried about you, sweet pea. I know that you want to give up, but you can't let that happen, otherwise you let McCallister win. You can't let him rule the way you live the rest of your life, can you?"

She shook her head. "Your right. I'm trying to be strong, I'm trying to hold it together, I don't want them to see." She motioned with her head towards the café. "That I'm a weakling. A coward."

"You're not a coward." He said sternly. "Don't you ever think that about yourself. You've been through a worse time than any of them can ever imagine, or even I can imagine. Its okay to show emotion, to let it out."

"But I can't let them see it." She whimpered softly. "I don't want them to know what happened." She spoke of more than one thing, that she didn't want them to know that she had killed a man. "I just can't let them know. Can you imagine what it would do to Cody? And Opal? To know that the girl they look up to was beaten nearly to death? The girl that protected them from getting swept away when they fell in the river?"

Bill was silent as he looked at Josie, her eyes pleading for help. "Your right, they mustn't know. For they're sake, I'll help you keep it quiet."

"Thank you." Josie said with relief. She stared into the fire. "I'm scared that I'll let them down. The girl that left here four months ago isn't the same girl who is here now. I'm nothing, I'm just a fragment of what I used to be, not the hero they think I am."

"Your wrong, honey. They don't worry that you feel your different, they love you for who you are now."

"And you?" Josie asked as she looked at him. "Why do you love me?"

Bill took her hands in his. "Because you are my daughter. Not by blood, but by love. You are special to me. You always have been. From the first day I met you, you've held a special place in my heart. When you were taken, it was like McCallister had ripped my heart out. I tried everywhere, everything, trying to find you. You can't imagine how I felt, when I had to tell Abigail you had gone. I searched everywhere, did anything I thought might help, and when that failed, you know how I felt? Exactly like you are now. Hopeless, helpless."

Josie looked at Bill, and for the first time she had ever seen, it looked like he had tears in his eyes. "I tried, I tried to get back sooner. I knew how bad Abigail would be hurting, and Colin, well, he's dead."

Bill was a little shocked, then he remembered. The last thing she'd seen when McCallister took her was him shooting Colin. "Josie, Colin isn't dead. I heard the shot, and when I went to investigate, I found him and then Carson came along and took him to town. He was very sick for a time, but that's how I knew McCallister had you, Colin told me when he woke up a few days after. You've been thinking that he's been dead and that it was your fault all along, haven't you?"

She nodded. "That's what I believed. I've had nightmares every night since I was taken. Nightmares of Colin being shot, nightmares of the beatings I had." She paused for a moment, scared to say what she was about to voice. "Nightmares of McCallister killing you. And Abigail." She began to cry. "They seemed so real that I thought he had killed you. I haven't slept since I left. I've been scared to sleep, scared of the nightmares."

"Oh, honey." Bill took the sobbing Josie into his arms. "Nothing's going to happen to me, or Abigail. I won't let that happen. We are fine. You are going to be fine. McCallister can't hurt you or us. Your going to be fine, you'll be fine. We'll get through this together." He gently rubbed Josie's back, then he heard the door open and looked up to see Henry enter.

Henry saw Josie and Bill, and he saw Bill look at him. He was about to turn to leave when he saw Bill mouth the words. "Get Abigail, please." He nodded at Bill, then silently left, Josie not even hearing him enter or leave.

Josie slowly began to calm down, and as she calmed down, she began to feel Abigail and Bill holding her. She looked up and saw Abigail with tears down her cheeks, and she forgot how she was feeling when she saw how broken Abigail was seeing her in this state. "Ma, don't cry."

"Oh, sweetie. I'm sorry." She didn't say anything else as she stroked Josie's face, then she handed Josie a handkerchief. "It was Cody and Becky's idea to do you a welcome home party. They went off to get you their surprise. I should have told them not to."

"Cody and Becky did that for me?" Josie said as she stopped whimpering. "They wanted to do it?"

"Yes." Abigail admitted. "They were so glad to have you back."

"And here I am, a blubbering mess, while I'm hurting their feelings." She wiped away the last tears from her eyes. "I have to go apologize to them."

"Are you sure you can go now?" Bill asked gently. "Will you be okay?"

"I'll be fine." Josie said with more confidence than she felt. "Where would they be?"

"Out in the main barn." Abigail replied. "They went up there when they found out you took off."

"Alright. I'll go talk to them now." Josie replied as she stood up, then she coughed again. "Excuse me." She quietly left the office and went off to the barn.

Abigail and Bill looked at each other. "It's worse than I thought." Bill said to Abigail. "She has severe trauma and emotional shock."

"What's that?" Abigail hadn't heard of it before

"It's a person's way of dealing with something like what she has been through. As a Mountie, we are trained a little to help people deal with things like that. She is in deep shock from what happened to her. Its almost like a state of being in a trance, she's drawing back into herself, to protect herself from being hurt further. It's just something we as humans do. It's the flight response."

"How do we help her?"

"There isn't really a way." Bill admitted. "She has to want to do it herself. All we can do is just try and make things as easy for her as possible. Even if it means that we have to figure out a different way to keep McCallister in jail. For life."

* * *

Josie quietly entered the barn, looking around for Becky and Cody. As she looked around, she thought she could hear soft talking upstairs in the loft. She glanced down at her hands, hoping that they could hold her while she climbed the ladder. She stepped up onto the first rung, then tried to use her hands to steady her as she stepped for the next one. She then decided to wrap her arms around the ladder and climb up that way. As she climbed into the loft, she could see Becky and Cody sitting in the far corner, next to the window.

"Becky? Cody?" She asked as she walked over to them. "I'm sorry."

"How did you know where to find us?" Cody asked as he looked at her.

"Ma told me she saw you two come here." Josie sat down beside them. "I'm really sorry about what happened."

"Its alright." Cody replied.

"It was a really nice thought Cody." She looked at Becky. "And you too Becky. I'm sorry about the way I acted."

"We understand." Becky replied. "We should have thought about you before we did it."

"No, it fine, its not your fault. I just..." She paused. "I just need some time, hey?" She looked at Cody. "Now, Ma said you two were working on a surprise for me when I came down this morning. I'm guessing there's more to it than just a party?"

Cody's eyes light up. "We're not saying a thing, are we Becky?"

"My lips are sealed." Becky smiled. "Now, since you're here Josie, we wanted to discuss something with you."

"Oh?" Josie tried to show some enthusiasm for their sakes. "What?"

"What we're going to get Ma from all of us." Cody said. "We've been working on a bit of a surprise for her."

"Can I be let in on the secret?"

"Sure." Cody whispered it to her, not noticing that hey, they were in the barn way away from anyone, but it was part of his excitement.

"Mom's going to love your surprise, Cody." Josie encouraged, then she looked at Becky. "What about you, have you got anything planned?

"Oh, I do. She said she needed a new pair of mufflers, so I got them while I was on my way back from college."

"She'll like your gift too." Cody nudged his sister.

"I hope so. But since Josie is back with us, I was thinking we should give her a gift from the three of us."

Josie was about to reply when Cody butted in. "What is it?"

"Let's go back to the café, and I'll tell you on the way." She replied as she noticed Josie looked cold. "It's freezing up here."

Cody jumped up and disappeared down the ladder, then Josie looked at Becky. "Did I really upset him?"

Becky nodded a little. "He was a bit confused, he didn't understand why you wouldn't have wanted a Welcoming Back party."

"I really didn't mean to upset him." Josie replied. She felt that she could let her adopted sister know a little bit more than she would have let on to Cody. "I've just been having a hard time dealing with a few things that happened while I was in McCallister's power. I just need time."

"I understand." Becky said with sympathy, then she heard her brother downstairs calling for them. "We're coming." They stood up and went to the ladder.

"You can go first." Josie offered Becky. "I'll take longer to get down"

"Alright." Becky agreed, then as her feet hit the ground, Cody began to get impatient.

"Come on, clumsy!" Cody called as he jumped from foot to foot. "You being as slow as slug!"

Josie bit her lip as she heard his teasing. She knew he didn't really mean it, but it still hurt a little. She turned to go down the ladder, trying to get down the same way that she had gotten up, but it didn't work. With a yelp, she lost her grip on the ladder and fell to the floor fifteen feet below her.

"Josie!" Cody screamed as she fell, then he looked at Becky as she ran over to Josie's side. Josie wasn't moving.

"Cody, go find Ma, quick! She might be with Bill." Becky commanded as she knelt down beside Josie. "Hurry."

* * *

Cody didn't need any other encouraging and he tore out of the barn like the devil was after him. He ran to the office and threw open the door before rushing in.

Henry, Bill, and Abigail looked at him, wondering what had gotten him into such a rush.

"Hold on, young man. Close the door." Abigail said as the door crashed against the outside wall.

Cody ignored her. "Its Josie! She fell off the ladder in the barn. She's not moving."

The three people looked at each other, then Bill sprung into action. "Henry, tell Carson we're bringing Josie over. Abigail come with me." He got up off his chair and he and Abigail ran after Cody to the barn.

Abigail got to the barn first and flung open the door before running in, then she saw Josie lying on the ground with Becky beside her and rushed over to them, sitting down on the side opposite Becky. "Josie? Josie? Josie!" She began to shout, but Josie didn't wake up. Abigail looked at her face saw a little pool of blood forming under her head on the straw and then saw the blood on the ladder. "Becky, how far did she fall?

"About fifteen feet." Becky sobbed. "She couldn't hold on."

"What was she doing in the loft?" Bill asked as he ran over to them. "She shouldn't have tried to get up there!"

"We were in the loft." Cody cried. "I asked her to hurry up when she was coming down, but I didn't mean for this to happen."

"It's not your fault." Abigail tore off part of her petticoat with her teeth and pressed it against Josie's skull to try and stop the bleeding. "I can't tell how deep it is." She said more to herself than to anyone else.

"Lets just get her to the infirmary." Bill said as he knelt down and picked Josie up. "Becky, you go take Cody home, please."

Becky nodded. "Come on Cody." She held the door open for Bill and Abigail then she led Cody over to the café.

Bill and Abigail quickly walked over to the infirmary, Abigail still holding the cloth to Josie's head. Carson was at the door to meet them. Words weren't needed as Bill walked in and placed Josie on the bed.

Carson quickly looked at Bill and Abigail, then at Josie. "How far did she fall?"

"Becky said about fifteen feet." Abigail said, trying to control her emotions. "Is she going to be okay?"

Carson didn't answer her question. He was unsure how bad her injuries were, not until he had examined her properly, and he was sure Abigail was going to lose it any moment, which was understandable, but it wouldn't help him or Josie any. "Bill, can you take Abigail out please?"

Bill nodded as Faith walked in from upstairs. "Come on Abigail, lets go get some coffee." He gently took her by the arm and led her out of the infirmary to the café.

As they entered the door, Cody ran up to them. "Ma? Its she okay?"

"Carson is with her now. She'll be okay Cody. She's a tough girl. She'll be fine." She said it to more reassure her. She looked at Becky, who was sitting at the table and walked over to her. "Are you okay?"

Becky nodded. "I'm fine." She was interrupted by the clock striking two. "Sitting here isn't going to do anyone any good." She stood up and walked out to the barn, leaving them a little bewildered.

"Let's grab some lunch, shall we?" Bill asked as he saw that the time was, then he saw Clara coming up from the cellar with a heavy box. "Clara, let me help you with that."

"Thankyou." She replied as she handed the heavy box to him. "It's quite heavy. It's a mix up of some of my things. There was some extra clothes I thought might fit Josie, if she wanted them. Where is she? I thought she'd be with you guys."

"Its my fault." Cody said before they could stop him. "She fell off the ladder out of the loft."

Clara looked at Abigail, and Abigail looked at Cody. "Why is it your fault?"

"I was teasing her for being slow. Then she slipped. She couldn't hold on. I called her clumsy. I didn't mean for her to get hurt."

Abigail was shocked. "Young man, your sister has had one hell of a time, she's struggling to keep herself together and you say that to her? She nearly di-" She didn't get to finish the word because Bill put his hand over her mouth.

"Abigail. Abigail. Calm down. I know your upset, but you need to calm down." Bill said as he stopped her. "Cody doesn't need to know."

Cody looked at them. "Know what?"

"Never mind, young man. Now, I think its best if you go and sit down, while I calm your mother." Bill watched him do as he was told, then he took his hand off Abigail's mouth and led her in the opposite direction to Cody. "Take a deep breath."

Abigail glared at him, but then did as he told her. "That feels a little better."

"Thank me later." Bill replied, then he looked at Clara. "Where's Montana?"

"She's helping with the floats." Clara answered. "I'll go tell her what's happened." She grabbed her coat and walked out the door to the barn. She saw Montana over with the palomino Josie had ridden in on, and it looked like she was making a fancy rug for it. "Montana."

Montana turned around, Jack and Elizabeth next to her looking up as well. "Yes?"

"Josie's been hurt. She fell off the ladder in the barn. She's at the infirmary now."

"Is she okay?"

"I don't know." Clara replied. "Bill sent me to fetch you to the café. He's there with Abigail." She hurried off back where she had come from with Montana by her side.

Jack and Elizabeth looked at each other. "What was she doing in the loft?" Elizabeth wondered out loud.

"I don't know." Jack replied. "But she didn't look good when I was talking to her." He saw two women standing by the door, women he had never seen before. They saw him and walked over.

"We're looking for Josie." The taller one explained. "I'm Amelia, and this is Snow Maiden. We came with her from McCallister's."

Jack shook their hands. "Constable Jack Thornton, and this is Elizabeth Thatcher." He looked at the women, wondering how to explain that Josie had been hurt. "If you'll come with me, we can all take a seat and a cup of coffee." He looked at Elizabeth. "Would you like to come?"

"No, I'll need to stay here. There's nothing I can do anyway." Elizabeth gave him a quick kiss, and he left with the two women following him.

Jack opened the door to the café and led the two women over to Abigail and Bill. "Snow Maiden, Amelia, I would like you to meet Sheriff Avery and Abigail Stanton." He saw the looks they gave him, so he quickly continued. "They're looking for Josie."

"Oh." Abigail replied, then she figured it out. "You're the two girls that came with Josie?"

"That's right." Amelia said, rather protectively. "And no one can tell us where she is. Where is she?"

"She fell off a ladder and hit her head." Abigail explained. "She's over in the infirmary right now."

"I don't believe you." Amelia replied. "Josie never would just fall off a ladder. That's impossible! Your lying! Now tell me the truth, where is she?"

That was the last straw for Abigail. She had had enough. "My daughter is seriously hurt, and she could die! And here you are saying I'm lying? What kind of person are you? Josie starved herself so you two could have enough to eat, and she was attacked my two men last night and saved by my other daughter and a friend. She's been eating out of rubbish bins, and she's so skinny she looks like a twelve-year-old. She is so malnourished that she barely has the energy to walk!" She was going to continue when Bill placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Enough, Abigail." He simply said. Then he turned to the two girls. "I'm sorry she's acting like this, she's been under a lot of stress lately."

"Don't you make excuses for me, Bill Avery!" Abigail exclaimed. "I have a-"

"Abigail! Enough!" Bill looked at her with a look that silenced her. He could tell she was extremely upset, but this was way out of character for her to act like this.

"We sorry." Snow Maiden apologized. "Miz Stanton. We no mean to have been nasty."

Amelia hung her head. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those things."

"I'm sorry too." Abigail started to cool down. "I shouldn't have said that." She saw Montana staring at her. "Yes, I do lose my temper sometimes. Everyone does."

"I've just never seen it." Montana replied, then she looked at the two girls. "I'm Montana Hale, Josie's blood sister."

Amelia nodded. "I'm afraid I've made a fool of myself. I'm just protective of Josie I guess. I'm going to have to learn to share her now. Is she going to be okay?"

"We don't know yet." Bill replied. "And I can appreciate you being protective of her. Tell me, were you the girl who worked for McCallister?"

"I am." Amelia replied, a little uncertain as to what he was getting at. "I helped her escape."

"Then you could me what you know about him, couldn't you."

"I guess." She then figured out why he was asking. "He's not anywhere around here, is he?"

"He's serving some nice time in jail. I'll need to talk to you more about it later, now isn't the time. Where are you staying?"

"Out at Langara. Josie told us last night to go there, and Matt put us up." Amelia jumped as the clock struck three. Hearing that sound made her think of her time in McCallister's house. "Again, I apologize for my behaviour."

"Its fine, Amelia, you can forget about it now." Abigail said, then she looked out the window and saw the approaching figure. Without a word a she stood up and walked over to the door as Carson walked in. "How is she?"

"She's had a pretty nasty blow to the head, and she's severely malnourished and her hands are frostbitten. She's hasn't woken up yet either, but that would be from the fall. She hasn't broken any bones that I can tell, but we'll know more when she wakes up."

"Can I go sit with her?"

"Yes, Bill and Montana, you can go too, if you wish." He replied

"Thanks, Carson." She quickly grabbed her coat and put it on, then she went out the door, not waiting for the others. She walked into the infirmary and saw Faith. "Carson said I could come over."

Faith nodded. "I'll leave you two alone." She said as she walked up the stairs to her room.

Abigail walked over and sat down in the chair beside Josie. "Oh, Josie, please be okay." She quietly whispered. "Why did you have to go up into the loft?"

Josie could hear Abigail talking, and her head was hurting, then she remembered what had happened. "Cause Cody and Becky were up there." She replied simply.

"Oh, Josie." Abigail said as she gave a sigh of relief. "I'm glad your okay. You had me worried."

"Pshaw. A little fall like that is nothing. What I got from McCallister was way worse." She opened her eyes and looked at Abigail. "Guess I still have more to do. God doesn't want me yet, must be too naughty." She joked.

"Very funny." Abigail sassed back. "How do you feel?"

"I've got a bit of a headache." She yawned. "But I had the best sleep I've had for ages."

"You were unconchess! That's different from a sleep."

"Not in my book." She went to scratch her head, but there was a bandage there instead of her hair. "Okay?" She looked at Abigail a bit confused. "What actually happened? Did I get a bad haircut or something?"

Abigail chuckled. "You got a gash in your head from hitting it on the ladder. Good thing there was hay on the floor, or it could have been worse." She heard Faith coming downstairs. "Faith, she's awake."

"Hello Josie." Faith said as she walked over. "Welcome back, on two accounts. How's your head?"

"Sore." Josie said as she tried to sit up, but Abigail placed her hand on Josie's shoulder and stopped her.

"Not so fast."

"Your Ma's right." Faith agreed. "You can stay lying down until Carson gets back and checks you over."

"Ugh, I have things to do."

"Right now, the only thing your doing s staying in that bed. Understand?"

"Alright." Josie sank back into the pillow, then she heard the door open and looked up to see who it was. "Welcome to the party, you two!"

Bill and Montana looked up, shocked. "Josie! Your awake!"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Okay Josie, let me tell you what falling off a ladder does." Montana replied.

"I know, I know."

"Don't you scare us like that again." Abigail gently scolded. "I don't think I'll handle it."

"I agree with your Ma." Bill agreed. "You're not doing anything we consider to much until your fully recovered. From everything. That's frostbitten hands and anything else included."

Josie rolled her eyes. "Honestly, if what I copped from McCallister didn't kill me, I should be fine."

"You listen to Sheriff Avery, Josie." Faith added in. "We all only care about you, we don't want you hurt."

"I know." Josie went silent. She did know they only cared about her. But what would they do when they found out she had killed a man?

Abigail saw the change in Josie. "What's wrong? Is your head getting worse?"

"No, its not that." Josie replied, then she lied. "I'm fine, just tired. Can I have a nap, please?"

"No, not until Carson gets back, so your stuck with our company till then." Faith replied.

"Someone should probably tell Cody and Becky I'm fine, they'll be worried sick."

"I'll go tell them." Montana offered. "We need to finish our surprise for you anyway." She put her jacket back on and walked out the door, her spurs clinking as she walked to the café. She opened the door and walked in, the people inside looking at her. "Josie's fine. She's awake and as cheeky as ever."

Cody jumped up from his seat. "Can we go finish her surprise then?"

Montana smiled. "We sure can buddy." Then she looked at Amelia and Snow Maiden. "You can join us if you like."

"I'd appreciate that." Amelia replied. "Thank you."


	23. Chapter 6

The next morning was Christmas Eve. Carson had insisted to Josie that she spend the night in the infirmary to make sure that she was okay, and Abigail had spent the night with her, to keep her company and to reassure herself more than anything that Josie was okay. Carson let her leave just before lunch, so Abigail and Josie made their way back to the café, Josie wearing a beanie to hide the bandage on her head.

As Abigail closed the door behind them, Cody ran up to them and threw his arms around Josie. "I'm sorry I was mean to you, Josie, I didn't mean it."

"I know you didn't, buddy. I forgive you." Josie said as she returned the hug. "Let's forget it ever happened, alright? I'm fine, no worse for wear. I think Ma got more of a scare than I actually got hurt. Let's have something to eat, shall we?"

Cody nodded. "We made your favourite. Pancakes with cream and blueberries."

"Did you?" Josie said as he led her into the kitchen. "I can't wait to eat them."

Clara was at the stove as they walked in. "Pull up a chair, the pancakes are done."

"That smell's delicious." Abigail exclaimed as she sat down at the table beside Josie. "Did you help, Cody?"

"Yep." Cody replied, rather please with himself. He turned to Montana. "Are you going to give her your surprise now?"

"If she wants it." Montana replied. "I have it in my pocket."

"Alright, I'll open it." Josie said, with more enthusiasm than she felt. She was trying her best to put on a show of being happy so that she wouldn't spoil Christmas for them. She took the package Montana passed to her, and opened it with some difficulty, then pulled out what the paper contained. "Oh, Montana, they're beautiful." She exclaimed as she looked at the decorative flower art on the spurs. They were a gold colour with exquisite detail to the art. "Where did you get these?"

"My sister." Montana knew she would ask that question. "They belonged to our mother. She used to wear them when she was your age. Mary-Lou and I wanted you to have them, to remind you of her."

Josie nodded, this was her first connection with her actual blood mother, other than Montana and her stories. "Thank you. It means so much to me."

"Put them on." Cody exclaimed. "They'll go with-" He clasped his hand over his mouth before he let slip with their surprise. "I'm not going to say."

"I'll put them on after breakfast, okay?" Josie asked as Clara placed her plate of food in front of her.

"And you'll need to change from that outfit too." Montana added. "Its part of the surprise."

This got Josie really curious now. What had they planed that required a certain dress? "One hint, please?"

"Nope." Abigail smiled. "Not one."

"What? Your in on it too?"

"Well, I had to be, since I was asked if you were able to r-" She quickly stopped and bit her lip. "Woopsy daisy."

"Hmmm." Josie ate her breakfast slowly, savouring the feel of eating as she listened to their chatter around the table, then she finally finished her meal. "Well, do I need to change into this outfit now, or what is the plan?"

Montana looked at the clock. "Yes, you can go upstairs and put it on."

"Alright." Josie said with suspicion. "So secretive. Can I have a hand, Abigail?"

"Sure." Abigail replied as she got off her seat. "We won't be long." She winked at Montana. "You guys better get ready with the rest of the surprise. And make sure Bill's ready too."

Josie looked at Abigail as they walked up the stairs. "One hint?"

"Don't look at me like that, I'm not saying a peep." Abigail chuckled, then she let Josie go on ahead into the bedroom.

"Come on, Ma." Josie teased as she entered the room, then she saw a beautiful, gold coloured sequined dress on her bed, with a photo of a lady wearing it astride a palomino horse. She walked over to it, and picked the photo up, then she saw a letter beside it, addressed to _My Daughter._ "Ma?"

"This is your mother, Josie." Abigail explained as she walked over. "And the letter is from her to you."

"Where did this come from?" Josie asked in amazement as the studied the handwriting on the envelope.

"Montana. She wants you to have all this. She told he that the letter was written and given to your grandfather, in case they ever found you. Mary-Lou had it all this time. She gave it to Montana to give to you. Do you want to open it now? I can leave if you like."

"No, stay." Josie handed her the envelope. "Can you open it, please?"

"Sure." Abigail opened it, then handed her the page it contained, without looking at it.

Josie opened it and began to read it aloud.

 _My darling daughter, Josephine_

 _If your reading this, then you've finally been found by one of us. You wouldn't know the anguish and pain we've suffered through when Cawley took you off us. I wish with all my heart that I could meet you, but that it not to be. I'm dying of consumption, and I won't have the chance to meet the beautiful girl I'm sure you've become. It is my dream, that wherever you are, whoever your now with, that they would love as much as we do. Never give up, because we never gave up on finding you. Never give in, because we never gave into doubt that we wouldn't find you. I hope that you have found a forever home, with a loving family you can trust. To the person caring for my daughter, I thank you from the bottom of my heart, and I know that you whoever you are, you love my daughter with all your heart. Protect and love her, is my wish. And my wish, for you Josie, is that you have a mother who loves you as much as I do._

 _With all my love,_

 _Your Mother_

Josie looked up from the letter at Abigail. "I've found that home. Its here, with you, and Bill, and Becky and Cody. She wouldn't have to worry, you love me as much as she did."

"I do." Abigail placed her arm around Josie. "Now, lets get you into that outfit, and make your mother proud of the girl you've become."

The preparations for the Christmas parade where in full swing by the time that Josie and Abigail emerged from the café. Abigail had insisted that Josie wear a blindfold, so Josie was even more curious about what was going on. As Abigail led her on a long detour around the town, much to everyone's amusement, Josie could hear the carollers singing Christmas songs, and feel the joy radiating from the children and adults gathered around.

Josie was quite confused when Abigail led her to the stable at the back of the café. She could tell she was there from the smell of the pine boughs on the stable's door. "What are we doing here?"

"You'll see in a moment." Abigail looked around at the family gathered outside the stable, then she saw Bill and nodded to him as she took the blindfold of Josie. "You can look now."

Josie opened her eyes and gasped in amazement as Bill led a beautiful, long maned, high stepping stallion out of her stable. The stallion made the sleigh bells ring on the beautiful gold costume that he wore, and it took Josie's breath away as she watched him. She looked around at Abigail, Montana, Becky, Cody, Bill, and Henry in amazement. "Where on earth did you get him? He's simply gorgeous!"

Montana smiled. "He's the son of the mare our mother used to ride. He's your horse now. Your mother used to do trick riding and she was in the circus for some time too. This was the costume that her horse used to wear. This was the surprise we all had planned for you, since came back."

Josie had tears of amazement in her eyes as she stroked the horses' forehead. "It's too much, Montana."

"No, it's not. We want you to have him, Josie. He used to live with Mary-Lou, but when she found out I found you, she wanted you to have him."

"Thank you, Montana." Josie didn't know what else to say. "Thank you, all of you."

"Its not over yet, Josie." Bill explained. "We want you to lead the Christmas parade. Will you do it?"

Josie nodded. "Yes." She laughed as the horse nuzzled her cheek, the first laugh she had made since she had been back. "I'll do it."

"Well, the parade's about to start, so we should get moving." Bill picked her up and placed her on the horse. "There you go, I'll lead you around to where they're setting up the line."

"Alright." Josie gave the horse a pat, then Bill led her out of the yard and around to the front of the line. As he stopped the horse, he handed the reins to Josie. "Here you go. Now I have a band to go organize. Be careful, we don't want you to fall off. If you start getting dizzy, or anything, I want you to call me over, okay?"

"Okay." Josie agreed, then she turned to watch the rest of the parade preparations

Abigail stood on the porch of the Mayor's Office with a smile on her face, watching everyone getting ready, then Elizabeth and Jack walked up to her. "This Christmas Parade was such a good idea."

"Looks like a good crowd." Jack remarked as he saw the people gathering along main street.

"Looks like the whole town came out." Elizabeth added as she waved to Cody, who waved back.

Bill joined them after he checked on Josie again. "Time to start?"

"Yes, now all we need are grand marshals."

"I just assumed that was you." Elizbeth exclaimed.

"Yeh, you are the mayor." Jack agreed.

"One of the perks of being the mayor is I get to choose. And I choose the two of you."

"No, Abigail, you couldn't." Elizabeth protested.

"Its my decree, you can't say no."

"She just made it law, as a Mountie, I'm duty bound to follow." Jack looked at Bill. "Be thankful it's not you."

"Oh, Jack, come on. It'll be fun." Elizabeth smiled at him, then the two of them marched off the find where they would ride.

Abigail and Bill watched them go, then she waved at Josie. "Have fun."

"Oh, I am." Josie called back. "These bells sound so pretty." She exclaimed as the horse shook his head again. "Can we start?"

Bill nodded. "In a moment. Alright everyone, time to start the parade!"

The kids ran off to join the place where they would be, and Rosemary started giving "Santa" some last-minute advice.

"Now keep saying Ho, Ho, Ho all the way to the end of the street."

"Ho, Ho, Ho. Got it."

"And toss the candy canes evenly. Don't favour one side of the street more than the other."

"No favouring. Got it."

"And most importantly, be jolly!"

"I'm always jolly, and you know why? Cause I'm married to the most wonderful woman in the world."

"Oh. Lee." Rosemary gave him a kiss before she quickly took off to join the wagon the band was in.

Abigail watched with satisfaction as the parade made its last-minute adjustments, then Florence and Molly came over to her. "We've been asked to escort you to the main float."

"Excuse me?"

"Follow us." Molly laughed as she and Florence led Abigail around the corner to where Cody and Becky were standing, now dressed up in their costumes.

"Cody, what's all this?"

"Peter didn't finish his to do list, he never got to take you to the North Pole." He handed her the old list they found the day in the attic. "I want to do it for him."

"Oh, Cody. Thank you." She gave him a hug, then she looked at Josie. "You okay, honey?

"Yep." Josie called back. "I'm fine."

"Come on." Cody exclaimed as he led her to the float, Becky joining them.

Jesse saw Clara over near where Josie was and he walked over to her, then snuck up on her. "I have a surprise for you." He handed her the box he was carrying.

Clara giggled as she opened the box, then she gasped as she saw the gloves he had brought her.

"Hope you like them."

"I love them." She gave Jesse a hug, as Josie watched with a smile on her face.

Josie looked over to Elizabeth and Jack, who were in the wagon behind her, she could hear their little conversation and she chuckled, then she saw Rosemary sitting quite proper in her seat beside Hickem, then she saw her prod him to move over, and she laughed again as Bill walked over to them, looking quite serious.

"Alright, gang this is where all the hard work pays off." He gave Hickem a knowing look, and was glad it wasn't him sitting next to Rosemary, then he walked to Josie at the front. "Ready?"

"Ready." Josie replied as she picked up the double reins and collected the horse, ready to start off when Bill asked.

"Let's start the parade!"

Josie nudged the horse forward with her spurs into a trot, the sleighbells mixing with the sound of the music coming from the band, her horse trotting in time to the music.

The parade moved down the street, Lee throwing the candy canes from side to side and calling out Merry Christmas, with all of the kids and everyone in the wagons waving to the people along the street.

Bill and Henry watched the parade from the door of the Jail, Henry smiling when he saw Josie happily leading the parade, trotting her horse in a zig-zag pattern in front and waving with one hand, the other one with the reins looped over her hands, then she disappeared around the corner, leading the way for the rest of the people. The parade was over.

As the wagon that Abigail and Cody came to a stop, Cody looked up to her. "Is Peter watching us?"

"I'm sure he is."

"Do you think he's happy with me?"

"I'm sure he's very proud of his little brother." Abigail assured, then added as Josie rode over to them. "And sister."

Josie stopped the horse with a gentle pull on the horse's reins. "He is simply a dream to ride." She exclaimed. "He has such a smooth gait, it's like riding on a cloud."

"How could you put a saddle on a cloud, Josie?" Cody asked, quite confused.

"It's a manner of speaking Cody." She gave the horse a pat, then looked around, trying to find him amongst the people who were dispersing from the main street, not noticing the five men who were hiding around the corner of a building, watching her closely. "Where's Bill? I'll need him to help get me off."

Abigail pointed to the jail as she got down out of the wagon. "I think he's over there."

"I guess I can sit here for a bit longer then." She laughed a little. "I don't mind." Then she heard a person walking up behind her and turned around. "Colin!"

"Josie!" Colin said as he stopped beside her horse. "I heard you where back. Need a hand off?"

"Yes, thanks." Josie let Colin help her off the horse, then she gave him a hug. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too, Josie." He said as she let go, then he placed his hands on her shoulders. "You had me worried sick, you know that?"

"I think I've had everyone worried." She replied as Bill and Henry walked over, then she turned to Bill. "See, I'm fine."

"Yes, Josie." Bill chuckled. "You are. How about I take Sunshine back and untack him for you, and you and Colin can catch up."

Josie handed the reins to him. "Thank you, Bill." She gave the horse one more pat as Bill led the horse away, back to the stable, then she turned to Henry. "Mr. Gowan, I wanted to show you my gratitude for helping me back. I spoke to Ma, and she has agreed that you can join us for Christmas, if you would like."

Henry wasn't sure how to respond, and he looked at Abigail first. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, Henry, we would like you to join us for Christmas." Abigail replied with a slight nod of her head. "It's the least we can do as thanks."

"Well." He thought for a moment. "When you put it like that, yes, I'll be happy to join you all."

"Alright then." Abigail smoothed her dress down. "I need to get back to the café to prepare the food for the town dinner tonight. Josie, are you coming? You can change out of that outfit and have a nap if you like."

Josie nodded her head. "Okay." She turned to Colin. "Are the rest of you guys coming to the town dinner tonight?"

"We wouldn't miss is for anything." He replied. "We'll be there, and we can catch up then."

"Great. Come on then Ma." She and Abigail walked back to the café, then the clock began to chime three times. "I didn't realize it was so late." She exclaimed, then sniffed the air. "Someone's already cooking that turkey."

Abigail closed the door, then saw Clara and Jesse working in the kitchen and walked over to them. "Oh, thank you for starting on the food, Clara. I didn't realize I took so long getting back."

"No problem at all." Clara replied as she pulled out a tray of gingerbread cookies. "Jesse has been giving me a hand too."

Jesse grabbed a cookie off the tray. "And by helping, I've been taste testing."

"I think I'll go have that quick nap." Josie said as she walked up the stairs. "Can you give me a hand to change, Ma?"

"Sure." Abigail followed her upstairs, then soon came back. "What else is on the list to do?"

"Well, the turkey is almost finished, we just need to make the cranberry sauce, and a couple more things, and we're done." Clara handed Abigail the checked off list. "Elizabeth is coming by shortly with a couple of things she's bringing, and I think we'll be set for tonight."

Abigail heard the door open. "Speak of the devil." She chuckled as she saw Jack and Elizabeth enter the room, Jack carrying a large box containing the food Elizabeth had prepared. "We were just talking about you."

"Oh, really?" Elizabeth replied cheekily. "Good things, I hope."

"Where do you want this, Abigail?" Jack asked as he looked for a spot to place the box down.

"Over on the other bench is fine." Abigail replied as she put on her apron. "I take it you enjoyed yourself at the parade."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes. Now, is there anything we can do to help?"

Abigail looked at Clara. "Well, what do you think? Can he scrub dishes?"

Clara laughed. "If he wants, but the tables do need to be set up in the saloon, Jesse, you could go help with that."

"Alright. Come on Jack, its better then getting in the way." Jesse teased as Clara hit him with the towel, then he and Jack quickly scampered off to prepare the saloon.

"How's Josie doing?" Elizabeth asked as she helped Abigail roll the dough for the pumpkin pies.

Abigail sighed, she looked over at Clara, then decided it was okay if she knew. "Honestly, she's not doing to good. Bill's very worried about her, and he normally doesn't worry. He says she's in emotional shock." She paused. "But I feel like there is something else going on, something that she doesn't want us to know that is scaring her more than what she's been through."

Elizabeth nodded. "She probably doesn't want you worrying about her, that's why she's been quiet."

"That's not it." Abigail shook her head. "It's something else. I know what she went through with McCallister, he nearly beat her to death, and she is covered in scars from the whipping he gave her when she tried to escape, but it's the scars that I can't see that worry me the most. The emotional scars that she has. She's trying to hide how she's really feeling, she doesn't want Cody and the kids to know what she's been through, but its breaking her, Elizabeth, and I don't know what to do."

"Pastry is done." Elizabeth said as she handed the dough to Abigail, then she thought about what her friend had said. "And you know there is something really going on."

"Yes." She placed the dough into the pan, then poured in the pie mixture. "But I can't figure it out. She's like a scared, lost puppy now, she's terrified of the smallest thing. She almost had a heart-attack last night when she heard Carson walking on the porch of the infirmary, she thought it was McCallister back. I just feel so helpless. I spoke with Amelia again yesterday before she went back out to the McGregor's, trying to find out anything that might give me a clue, but she didn't say anything helpful."

"And you've tried to talk it out of her?" Clara asked.

"I have, but she doesn't want to talk. When she talks, its like she's careful, like she doesn't want me to know the whole thing. Bill told me about the conversation he had with her yesterday, I just hope we can help her."

"If anyone can do it, you can, Abigail." Elizabeth encouraged her. "Josie thinks the world of you, give her time, give her time."

"Elizabeth's right." Clara joined in. "When Josie's ready, she'll tell you the rest. Just be patient with her, we all need to be patient with her. It will take a lot of time for her to start to heal from what has happened."

"I know." Abigail sighed again. "I just feel so helpless. I want to help her, but I don't know how."

"The best way is just to be there for her, with her. Spend as much time as you can with her." Elizabeth handed Abigail the pastry brush. "She needs to have you close, that way she'll feel safe. That's why she goes to Bill, she feels safe around him."

"That makes sense." She looked at the clock and was surprised to see that it was almost four-thirty. "I better go wake her up."

"Alright, Clara and I will start taking the food over to the saloon, the food that doesn't need to stay warm." Elizabeth replied as she took off her apron. "If you need us to help with anything else, just ask."

"Thankyou." Abigail walked up the stairs to the bedroom and opened the door quietly. She was surprised to see Josie sitting at her desk. "Josie?"

Josie jumped up with fright as Abigail touched her shoulder. "Abigail don't do that!"

"Sorry." She apologized, then saw what Josie was working on. "Have you been doing that the whole time?"

"No, I'm only just doing the finishing touches." She replied as she finished stitching the halter she was working on. "Its Cody's present, a halter for Taffy."

"Its beautiful." Abigail ran her fingers over the leather. "I'm sure he'll like it."

"I hope he does, and we have a little surprise for you too."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, and I'm not saying what it is." She looked at Abigail with a little smirk on her face. "Unlike you who nearly let slip about my surprise."

"Very funny." She patted Josie's shoulder. "Its nearly time for the town dinner, are you ready to go"

"Yes." She pulled out some wrapping paper from the desk draw. "I'll just wrap this, then I'm ready to go."

"Okay." Abigail walked back to the door. "I'm going to check on how things are over at the saloon, can you go tell Bill that everything's on track?"

"Sure, I can do that."

"Thanks." Abigail left the room, then Josie finished what she was working on.

"Done." She placed the package under her bed, then went downstairs and outside to go and tell Bill everything was ready.


	24. Chapter 7

**Here we are! Another chapter! This story is completely finished, but i have a couple more chapters to upload when i have a chance. Enjoy**

* * *

Bill was quietly drinking a cup of coffee in the office with Henry, not knowing about the men who where watching Josie's every move, just waiting to pounce. "The Mounties will be here next week to take you back to Cape Fullerton."

"I bet you'll be glad to be rid of me." Henry joked as he placed his cup back on Bill's desk. "Then you'll have your peace and quiet back."

"Not much peace and quiet around with Josie the way she is." He remarked, then got an idea. "Those men who you scared off, what where they wanting from Josie?"

"I don't know. They didn't seem to be very nice though. She was terrified of them. I don't know that their plan was though."

"Mmm." Bill quietly contemplated. "It could have been someone connected to McCallister."

"That's what I was thinking, gathering what I had heard about him." Henry looked out the window as he spoke, then without a word her walked over and peered out. "Bill, you better get over here."

Bill looked over at him and stood up. "What?" He went over to Henry and looked out the window beside him. "I only see Josie."

"Look closer." He pointed to two men he could see hiding around the corner of a building. "It's the men that were in Nelson Ridge."

"And they're after Josie." Bill looked at Henry, his face ashen. "Stay here." He grabbed his gun off the table and strapped it on, then went out the door.

* * *

The first thing Josie knew of the men was when she heard someone running up behind her. She took one quick glance, then took off, not looking where she was going. She could hear the man gaining on her, and as she looked around, she felt herself run into something, something that grabbed her. She yelped, then began to struggle, trying to get free.

"Josie, Josie, its only me." Bill said gently as he held her close to him. "Take it easy."

Josie stopped struggling and looked up at him, her eyes conveying her fright. She looked at the four men who were gathered in front of them, then she slunk behind Bill to hide.

The four men strode over to Bill as Josie cowered behind him, then the man who the others seemed to acknowledge as their leader stepped forward. "Hand over the girl, now."

Bill looked at him, studying him closely. "Not going to happen." He could see something in their eyes that even made him a little frightened, and he could feel Josie's fear as she pressed against him. "She is not going anywhere."

"We'll see about that." The man pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. It was a bounty sign. "We're bounty hunters, and that girl is wanted for murder. She is worth a very pretty bounty. Now." He leant down near Bills face. "Hand her over."

Bill stared back at him, a very set, angry look in his eyes. "As far as I'm aware, this child hasn't done anything wrong. She is not going anywhere."

The man made a quick motion with his head. "Fine, have it your way. But either you hand her over, or we take her by force. So, what's it going to be? Easy way or the hard way?"

He looked down at Josie, who looked back up at him, terror and desperation in her face, not seeing another man sneaking up behind then. "I'm not letting you take her."

"Alright." The man spoke his command, then just as suddenly as he had uttered it, Bill fell on the ground as the man behind hit him with his rifle.

Josie screamed with terror as Bill hit the ground, then she felt another pair of arms encircling her waist. "Bill!" She screamed as she saw him lying there, not moving, then tried to wiggle free. "Let go of me! Let go of me!" She tried to get loose, beginning to kick and scratch the man's face with her nails.

"Give me a hand, boys!" The man asked as Josie bit his hand hard. "She's a regular wild cat."

Josie saw another men reaching to grab her legs, then she kicked him in the stomach as hard as she could. She began to thrash and kick harder than ever. As she saw the men getting in position to take her down, she began to fight even hared. She knew that she had to get away from them and hide, and as another man tried to grab her, she began to cry in desperation.

* * *

Jay was whistling a song as he rode his horse into the town, the smell of the cooking food for the dinner wafting through the air. As he turned a corner onto main street, he could hear a girl trying to scream, like she was being strangled, then as his eyes adjusted to the light, because the sun was in his face, he could make out that it was Josie who was in trouble, a gang of men attacking her. He knew he was too far away to help, Josie was screaming for Bill, and one of the men slapped her to try and shut her up.

"If he's not dead now he will be." The black headed one snarled as he reached for his gun. "Shut up you impertinent whining cat." He yelled as he slapped Josie again.

Josie began to scream frantically, her voice drowned out from the Christmas Carols they were singing inside the saloon, then she saw the man aim his gun at Bill's head. "No!"

Henry was watching everything that was happening, and quick as a flash, he picked up Bill's spare pistol off the desk and ran out of the jail, knocking the man over who was about to shoot Bill. The man dropped the gun on the to the ground and began to fight Henry.

Jay watched with horror as he came closer and saw one of the men go for their gun and about to shoot Bill, who was lying on the ground when Henry ran out of the Jail and began to wrestle the man for the gun.

Jay kicked his horse into a faster gallop, as Josie began to scream again as loud as she could, while still being strangled. He galloped right into the centre of the fight on main street, and leapt off his horse on top of one of the men who was trying to get Henry off the other gang member, bringing him to the ground. The man had a knife, and wasn't afraid to try and use it. Jay jumped off him as he formed a barrier between Henry and the deranged knife-man. He jumped aside as the man slashed out with the knife, with the intent to kill him.

Jay ducked and danced just out of his reach. Jump forward, jump back, waiting for the right moment to attack, then it came. Quick as lightning, he grabbed hold of the knife-man's wrist and twisted the man's arm that was holding a knife knocking him down as he did, then he punched him out cold. He jumped up as two men ran for him, and out of the corner of his eye, he could still see Josie struggling with the man who was holding her. He waited for the other two gang members to get closer, and he saw that Henry had his knee on the mans back on the ground, and a gun pointed on the man he had been fighting with. He ducked as one of the men threw a punch, then kicked one in the knee, the men yelling and shouting the whole time, but still no one in the town had seen what was going on.

Josie was still struggling as she saw Jay ride in and take down one of the men, and it distracted her for a moment. In that moment, then man who was holding her got a strong hold of her neck and began twisting it back, making it hard for her to breath.

"Stop struggling you pretty idiot, or I'll break your neck!" He snarled as he looked into her eyes, trying to intimidate her.

Josie began to gasp for air, and she stopped struggling, feeling her neck about to break. It was over. He had won. She was about to give up, defeated, then she remembered she was still wearing her spurs. Still gasping for air, but with a twinkle in her eye, she kicked up as hard as she could between the man's legs. "Let go of me!" She screamed as she felt his grasp loosen, and she twisted free, gasping for oxygen.

"Yargh!" He yelled as he let her go, his anger rising from the pain, and he charged at her.

Josie saw him as she still was trying to get enough air into her lungs, then she jumped to the side as he rushed at her and punched him as hard as she could in the face, feeling her fist break his nose. With another yell of pain as she kicked him again in the groin, the man landed on the ground in a heap. As she turned around with a yelp of fear, she saw another man coming for her and turned around to run, not realising he had gotten his gun out.

Jay was wresting one of the men to the ground when he saw Josie take off, then he saw one of the men going for his gun to shoot her. Quick as a flash, his hand went for his gun, and he shot the man in the shoulder, making him drop his gun, the man's own bullet whistling over Josie's head as she jumped around the cover of the jail.

Jay had enough, he wasn't going to mess around with them any longer. If these men were happy to kill a child, and a girl at that, they didn't deserve to breath oxygen. "Alright! Enough!" Jay yelled with authority as he shot bullets over the remaining man's head. "Put your hands up. Now!" He looked at Henry. "What happened, Henry?"

"I don't know." Henry replied as he stood up, still holding his gun on the man on the ground. "I have no idea."

The man stepped forward, eyeing Jay's gun closely. "You have no authority to intervein!"

"I do, and I am." Jay got out a pair of handcuffs. "You are all under arrest." He looked at the man in front of him and recognized him. "Jim Taylor. Thought I'd see you again." He smiled as the man's face turned to a look of horror. "Your wanted for claim jumping, and a mess of other things. Now, I might not have any gold, but I have a nice pair of silver bracelets for you." He held them up and smirked. "Nice fashion accessory."

"And how are you to be able to arrest us?" He sneered back.

"Jay McGregor's the name, arresting's my game." He was pleased with the reaction he got. The men looked up at him, the realization of who was standing in front of them hitting them like a ton of bricks, then one of the men got off the ground, the two standing men shot their hands in the air as the people began to come out of the saloon, wondering what on earth had happened.

Josie began to breathe steadier again, then as she peaked out from her hiding place, she saw that Jay had the men under control. She looked at Bill on the ground. He wasn't moving. Ignoring the gathering crowds, and with a sob of terror, she ran back over and knelt down beside him. "Bill? Bill!"

Bill heard Josie sobbing quietly, shaking him to try and wake him. With slight trouble opened his eyes and groaned softly as his eyes focused on Josie's face. "Oh, Josie. What happened?" He could see how tired she was, how terrified, and he wanted to comfort her. He tried to sit up, but then a wave of dizziness overcome him.

"You got hit in the back of the head." Josie quietly replied, then Jack walked over as he saw Lee and Henry take control over the men's arresting.

"You okay, Bill?" He asked, genuinely concerned. "That was a nasty fight that just took place."

Bill tried to shrug it off. "Just a knock on the head." He rubbed the back of his neck, then pulled away his hand, it had blood on it. "I'll be okay." He tried to reassure as he slowly sat up and lent against Josie.

Abigail ran over to them. "You don't look okay." She said gently as she looked the wound on his neck, a bit of blood begging to stain his shirt. "What happened?"

"That wanted to take Josie. They're bounty hunters." He looked up as Jay walked over and looked at him. "I didn't hear him sneak up on me." He looked at Josie. "Are you okay?"

Josie nodded, then whispered her reply, still getting over the shock of what had just happened. "Thanks to Jay and Henry."

Jay looked at Bill, then looked at Abigail. "You go take him to the café, Carson and Henry can tend to the others."

Abigail nodded. "Alright." She looked at Bill as she held onto his hand. "Do you think you can walk?"

"I should be able to, with some help."

"Alright, Jack, can you give Jay a hand?"

Jack walked over and helped Bill to his feet, placing Bill's arms around his neck to help steady him. "Just let me know if you need to stop."

"Sure." Bill replied as they slowly walked to the café, ignoring the curious looks from the crowd.

Abigail turned to follow them, then she noticed the bounty notice on the ground and picked it up. She looked at it for a moment, then looked at Josie who was walking with the three men, as if in disbelief of what she was reading. She quickly stuck it in her pocket, then jogged to catch up to them, not saying anything.

When they got the café, she opened the door. "Just sit him on the couch." She requested as she moved the blanket aside. "Thank you, jack, Jay."

"Anytime Abigail." Jack placed his hand on Bill's shoulder. "I can take over leading the carols tonight if you like."

Bill nodded as he leaned back against the chair, his head sore from being knocked out. "I'd appreciate that."

"Just let us know if you want anything else done." Jay said as he and Jack turned to leave. "I better go help Carson with these two men. Nice trick by the way, Josie."

Josie looked down, as she rubbed her neck. Her throat was hurting from being strangled, and she could feel where the mans fingers were causing bruising. "Its no nice trick what I had to do." She spoke of more than one thing. "I'm fine for the moment though." She lied. She looked up at Jay, knowing the news would be out sooner or later. Probably sooner. Her sister should hear it from herself. "Can you ask Montana to come over? She can give us a hand."

"Sure." Jay replied as he and Jack left the café.

"How's your head?" Abigail asked as she placed a cloth over the wound on Bill's neck to stop the bleeding.

"Its sore." He winced as the cloth touched the wound. "Bet I'll have one nice headache tomorrow." He saw Josie over at the fire, her shoulders shacking slightly as she sobbed quietly. "Josie, I'm fine." He and Abigail looked at her, Josie not seeming to notice. He looked at Abigail, a wondering looks on both of their faces. "Josie?"

Josie turned around and walked over silently and sat down beside Bill and Abigail. "I was just scared."

"I know you are, sweetie." Abigail replied, then she saw the bruises begging to appear on Josie's neck. "Honey, what on earth did he do to you?" She decided not to mention the bounty notice at that moment.

Josie still was breathing quite fast, still feeling slightly dizzy from the lack of oxygen. "He was strangling me, then he tried to break my neck."

"Oh, God." Abigail exclaimed. She didn't know what else to say.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Bill asked with concern, ignoring his own injuries.

"Yes." Josie nodded. Then she heard the door open and Montana walked in.

"Are you okay, sis?" Montana asked as she walked over and warmed herself by the fire.

Josie nodded again as she took a deep breath. "I have something to tell all of you, come sit over here, Montana." She waited till Montana was seated, then as she looked around she saw the paper sticking out of Abigail's pocket. She knew what it was, but still she needed to see it for herself. "Ma?"

Abigail saw her looking at it, and slowly pulled it out and handed it to her. "What happened?"

Josie sat, not saying a word as she stared at her face looking at her. She looked at the eyes the artist had drawn. Cold, hard, looking at her like they were a killer's eyes. She looked at the paper for the longest time. Not believing what she was seeing, but knowing it was real. It was her face. On a wanted poster. When she looked up at her family, her eyes were lifeless, and a blankness had misted over them. "It's true."

Bill, Abigail and Montana glanced at each other, realising just what this might do to all of them, and mostly, Josie. Bill broke the silence. "What happened?"

Josie took another deep breath, her face devoid of emotion as she spoke. "You remember when I told you that we tried to get word back to you from Cheyenne?"

Abigail nodded. "Yes."

"Well, there was this man there, when I walked in to the store to ask about sending a telegram." She paused as she bit her lip. "He tried to kiss me, and pull off my bodice, in front of all the men gathered there. He was drunk, and he wasn't being at all polite. His intentions were not honourable to say the least. He wanted to make a spectacle of me, and he had me held tight. I managed to break his hold, and when I did, I kneed him and dropped him on the ground and ran out. The girls and I mounted and went to leave, then the men turned nasty. They tried to pull us off our horses. Snow Maiden and Amelia made a run for it, it was me they wanted. The man I'd dropped had recovered enough to join the riot it was turning into, and he tried to grab me again. I dug my heels into the horse I was on and tried to make a run for it. He tried to shoot me," She paused again, then continued, her eyes still clouded. "I turned and shot him dead, then I shot two others who tried to grab my horses bridle, they fell down dead and I fired into the crowd as my horse bolted." She looked down at her hands, not willing to look into their eyes. "I'm a murderer."

"It was self-defence, Josie." Bill said, placing his arm on her shoulder, ignoring his throbbing headache. "No one can blame you."

"It might have been self-defence." Josie leaned against him, hiding her face. "But they will never believe that. On two accounts. I'm a woman, and a nobody. It will be my word against theirs."

Montana looked at Josie. "It will be worked out, you'll see."

"That's what I don't want to happen. Hanging is still a punishment in Wyoming." She sobbed. "And I can't run forever."

Abigail jerked her up and looked at Bill. He returned her anxious gaze with his own worried look. She didn't know what to say. Her eyes pleaded with Bill for something, something to give them hope, but he had nothing either.

Bill held Josie closer, as he tried to fight off his sleepiness and not show just how much pain he was in. "We'll work something out." He had no idea what else he could say to comfort her. It was a death sentence, and they all knew it, and they were powerless to do anything.

Montana looked at her younger sister. She knew how Josie was feeling. She'd run for most of her life, trying to avoid the same thing, and then, when she was at the end of the line, Bill had brought evidence to her trial that had saved her. She remembered how sacred she had felt, how terrified of the future, and how short that future would be. "Your safe here for the moment, Josie. Nothing can happen while we're here."

"But other's will come." Josie whimpered. "With a five-thousand-dollar bounty on my head, they will. You can't protect me forever, and we all know it. Its only a matter of time before they catch me, and we can't do a thing about it. There is nothing we can do."

"There is something we can do." Abigail said as she rubbed Josie's shoulder. "For the moment, your safe, and free. Its Christmas tomorrow. And we can try and find a way around it."

"Ma." Josie looked at Abigail. "We all know there is no way around it." She spoke it bluntly. "There is only one thing for me, and that's the inevitable. I can't run and hide forever, and we all know that."

Bill nodded. "But I can make sure that we have some time. I'm going to call in a few favours with people I know."

"I'd appreciate that." Josie said without emotion. Then as she was about to reply, Elizabeth walked in with Cody and Becky, holding plates of food.

"We thought you might be hungry." She said as they placed the food on the table. "It is getting late."

Abigail looked at the clock and saw that Elizabeth was right. It was nearly seven o'clock. Nearly three hours had passed since they had started talking. "Thank you, Elizabeth, kids." She looked back at Bill. "Can you go see if Carson is finished? I want him to check Bill over."

"Sure." She replied and walked out the door.

Cody walked over to Bill. "What happened to you?"

"Ah, got hit in the back of the head with a rifle." He tried to make light of it. "Silly thing to do, hey?"

"Yeh, silly alright." Cody teased. "Didn't you tell me you had eyes in the back of your head when I tried to swipe one of your cookies?"

Bill rolled his eyes. "They only work for kids, not adults."

"Oh?" Cody didn't seem convinced. "Maybe they need to work for grown-ups too."

"Maybe." Bill winked at Abigail, even though his headache was getting worse. "Why don't you and Becky go have something to eat, then we'll sing a couple of carols, hey?"

"Okay." Cody picked up his plate and sat down beside Becky at the table, not noticing the poster that was in plain sight.

As Becky sat down, she saw the poster in Abigail's hands. She looked at Abigail, about to say something when the look that Abigail gave her told her loudly not to mention it, so she heeded the warning. "Who's excited about Christmas, tomorrow?"

Cody stuck up his hand. "I am!"

Abigail chuckled as she handed out the other plates. "We know you are Cody." She teased, then she tried to hand Josie a plate.

"I'm not hungry."

"Josie." Abigail looked at her sternly. "Eat."

Josie looked up at her, her eyes telling Abigail to drop the issue before she lost her temper. Slowly she repeated what she said before. "I'm not hungry."

Montana glanced at Abigail, telling her to just leave it as well. "We'll leave it in the oven, and you can eat it later."

"Alright." Josie admitted defeat. "If I get hungry."

"I know what her problem is." Cody declared. "She drank to much of Sherriff Avery's eggnog."

Josie chuckled a little and decided to let Cody think that. "I must have." She heard Elizabeth walking back in, and got up to get some more wood for the fire.

Abigail saw Carson following Elizabeth. "Thank you, Elizabeth."

"Anytime Abigail." She replied as she turned to leave. "I'm going to back to spend some time with Jack. Do you need me to do anything else?"

"No, its fine." Abigail assured. "You go spend time with Jack before he has to leave."

"Alright, see you tomorrow then." She said as she left.

Carson walked over to Bill. "Had a nasty knock, did you?"

"You might say that." Bill said as he let Carson look at the wound on his neck.

"It wont need stitches." Carson said as he saw that the wound wasn't to bad. His other concern turned to possible concussion. "Do you feel nauseous? Sleepy?"

"Not really, just have a bad headache."

"That's understandable." Carson looked at his eyes, then made his diagnosis. "You've got yourself a case of slight concussion for your trouble Bill. I'll give you some medicine to help relieve the headache and you'll be back to normal tomorrow. But I want you to stay here tonight, so Abigail can watch you."

Bill rolled his eyes and looked at Abigail. "Guess you're stuck with me."

"And is that a bad thing?" She teased as Carson handed her Bill's medicine. "I'm not that bad a nurse, am I?"

"Very funny." Bill sassed back. "What about the bounty hunters? Are they in jail?"

"Yes." Carson replied after he finished giving Abigail the instructions for the medicine. "Two with gunshot wounds in the shoulders and one with a very nasty broken nose and sore groin, courtesy of Josie's punch and spurs. The other two are fine. But let's say, Henry won't be spending the night in jail with them."

"Why?" Bill was confused. He didn't know that Henry had stopped the men from shooting him while he was unconscious.

"Henry stopped one of the men from shooting you and Josie. He risked his life for you two, and let's say, the men aren't very happy that he assisted in his arrest. Jay's letting him stay at the motel under guard until he moves the prisoners to Cape Fullerton day after tomorrow."

Bill took in what Carson said. He still sort of hated Henry, but he had to admit it. The guy wasn't short on courage. Maybe there was a different side to Henry that he hadn't seen before. "Can you thank him for me?"

Carson nodded. "I can do that." He turned to leave. "I best go help with the clean up from the dinner, it's getting late."

Abigail looked at the clock after Carson had left. "He's right. Its almost bed time, Cody."

"Awe, Mum." Cody complained. "Can we at least sing one carol?"

"One." She let in to his request. "What do you want to sing?"

"Silent Night." He replied, then they all joined in with singing it.

"It was silent till you started singing." Bill mumbled under his breath, making a mental note to teach that boy how to sing properly to save his ears.

After the song, Abigail ushered Cody up to bed and brought down the cot Josie used when she had to watch the horses. "You can sleep down here tonight, Bill. I'll go grab you some blankets and a quilt."

"Thanks Abigail."

"I'm going to hit the hay too now." Montana said as she finished cleaning the kitchen. "It's late."

"Alright, night sis." Josie said she as she gave Montana a hug. "See you in the morning." She saw Clara sneak in after Montana went upstairs. "You going to bed, too, Clara?"

Clara nodded, tired from the days working. "Night Josie."

Josie yawned as she finished making Bill's bed. "I'm going to go up to bed now. Night Bill."

"Night, Josie." Bill said as he gave her a hug. "Have a good sleep."

"I'll try too." Josie said as she followed Clara upstairs.

Bill stared into the fire as he waited for Abigail to come back down from tucking Cody and Becky in. His thoughts were interrupted when Abigail placed her hand on his shoulder. "Oh, Abigail. You startled me."

"Sorry." She handed him a glass of water with his medicine that Carson had given, then sat beside him in silence, watching the tongues of fire dancing from the burning wood.

Bill broke the silence. "That must have been what she's been hiding. We both knew there was something that she wasn't telling us."

"We just never imagined it could be this bad." Abigail sighed. "What on earth are we going to do? We're protecting a fugitive. Not that I'm worried about the consequences of that, but what's going to happen when someone else comes?"

"I don't know." Bill admitted. "I'm going to talk to Snow Maiden and Amelia about it though, they might be able to tell us something that would help clear her name. Right now, McCallister is the least of our problems. If someone finds her, she will be transferred back to Wyoming and hung. No questions asked."

"We can't let that happen."

"Your right. We can't." He was silent for a moment. "I need to get some telegrams out tomorrow. Hopefully one of the people who owe me favours will be able to help."

Abigail looked at him. "We can only hope." She felt Bill take her hand in his. "Its good to know that we have someone we can rely on. Thank you, Bill."

"Your welcome, Abigail." He said gently. "I'm going to get some sleep now. Good night."

"Good night Bill." Abigail replied as she walked up the stairs to her room. As she entered, she could see Josie sleeping peacefully already. Quietly as she could, she changed into her nightgown and slipped into her bed, so that she didn't disturb her daughter.

* * *

Josie slept for a couple hours, then she was awoken by a terrible nightmare. She sat bolt upright, quietly hyperventilating. As she slowly calmed down, she made sure that she hadn't awoken Abigail by her crying. To her relief, Abigail was still sound asleep.

She felt so cold, so frightened. She knew she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. It was freezing in the room, and she was freezing. Wrapping her blankets and quilts around her, she walked downstairs to the living room, grabbed a glass of milk and sat down beside a sleeping Bill in front of the fire. She sat staring into the fire for a good hour before she even began to feel sleepy. The house was quiet. The only noise being the sound of the clock and of Bill's breathing. Finally, she felt that she could get back to sleep, and she curled up in front of the fire and dozed off.

* * *

When Abigail awoke in the morning, she was surprised to see Josie's bed already vacant. It was still dark outside, and the whole house hold was asleep. Quietly she got up and grabbed the presents for the kids and carried them downstairs to place underneath the tree.

As she walked down the stairs, she saw Josie curled up peacefully in front of the fire and tip-toed past both her and Bill to the Christmas tree. She quietly placed the presents down and was about to go back upstairs and let them sleep when Bill woke up.

"Abigail?"

Abigail placed her finger to her lips and motioned down at a sleeping Josie. "Sorry Bill." She whispered as she went and sat down beside him. "Looks like you had company. I woke you, didn't I?"

"No, I've been awake for ages." He admitted. "Thinking about Josie."

Abigail nodded, she understood. "I couldn't sleep either." She looked at Josie sleeping on the floor. "She looks so peaceful. The only peace she's had since she was taken."

"Poor angel." Bill sympathized with Josie. "She is utterly terrified of being caught." He looked at Abigail. "We can't let that happen."

"I know." She whispered back. "But what can we do? You're a sheriff, its your duty to arrest her, not hide her from the law. Its invested interest."

"I know your right." He nodded. "But I'm willing to take the chance."

"Even if it means jail time?"

"Even if it means jail time. Even if it means death for me too, for protecting her. I'd give my life to keep you and her safe. You both have been through so much already, you deserve a person who cares and protects you both. I love that girl." He looked down at her. "She's a daughter to me. The closest thing to a daughter I've ever had. If she gets taken back to Wyoming, and…" His voice trailed off. "I don't think I could live with myself. She means the world to me."

"I know she does." Abigail brushed Bill's fringe out of his face and ran her fingers down his cheek. "She means a lot to both of us. And you mean a lot to me too. I was so scared when I saw you today, on the ground, then Jay arresting the men." She paused for a moment, then spoke barely above a whisper. "I was sure they had killed you."

Bill looked into Abigail's brown eyes. God, he loved this woman. "I'm sure you'll get over your fright." He made light of it, knowing that if he didn't, he would say something he would regret. After all, as far as he knew, she was still being courted by Frank. "I can take care of myself."

Abigail chuckled at Bill. "I can see that." She then looked back at Josie on the floor. "How long has she been sleeping there?"

"I don't know, I didn't even hear her come down."

"At least she's getting some sleep." She said as she glanced at the clock. "Cody will be down soon, I'm surprised he isn't already."

Bill nodded. "He's always excited about Christmas." Then he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. "Ah, here he is."

Abigail placed her finger on her lip and motioned to Josie on the floor. "Quiet, Cody."

"Sure, ma." He whispered back as he walked over to her and Bill. "What's she doing on the floor anyway?"

"She must have gotten cold and snuck down here." Abigail replied as she placed her arm around Cody and gave him a hug. "Becky still sleeping?"

"Yep, so is everyone else." He sighed. "I want to hurry up and open my presents!"

"You'll have to learn some patience." Bill piped in. "How about you go read till everyone's up?"

"Alright." Cody glanced at the clock quickly. "But it's already six o'clock!"

"Patience, Cody." Abigail handed him his Tom Sawyer book. "Back to bed."

"Alright." He turned to leave but knocked the vase off the table with his book. It landed on the floor with a crash but didn't break. He jumped as it clattered across the floor. "Woops."

"Cody!" Abigail exclaimed out of surprise as she stopped the vase from rolling. "I think you'll have woken the house up with that."

"Sorry." Cody said apologetically. "I didn't mean too."

"Oh, Cody." Josie groaned as she sat up. "Thanks for the alarm clock. That was loud enough to wake the dead."

"I'm sorry."

"Its okay Cody." Josie assured as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "I would have slept straight through Christmas. We can't have that happening, can we?"

"No." Cody replied with all sincerity. "We couldn't." Then he remembered the present for Abigail. "Be right back." He turned and ran up the stairs.

Abigail chuckled as she heard the rest of the house hold waking up. "I think he got his wish." She looked over at Josie. "Had a good sleep?"

Josie shook her head. "No." She wrapped one of the blankets around her as she was still dressed in her nightgown and feeling very cold. "I got woken up by a dream, and I was cold, so I came down here."

"Do you want to tell us your dream?" Bill asked gently as he sat up on his makeshift bed.

"Not now." She could hear the others coming downstairs. "They don't need to know. Let's not ruin their Christmas, ok?"

"Alright." Abigail nodded, then Cody and Becky came dashing downstairs. "Hold on." She laughed at their eagerness. "Your presents will still wait a couple more minutes."

Cody sat down next to the tree where the presents were stacked. "Can we open them now? Everyone's up."

"Well, you fixed that, didn't you?" Josie teased as she moved aside and sat between Montana and Clara.

"Yes, Cody, we can." She chuckled as she began to hand the presents to Cody to pass them out. "That one's for Clara, and that one's Montana's."

Cody passed them to the ladies, then went back for the rest.

Montana and Clara began to unwrap their presents, and as Montana pulled off the paper, she saw that the package contained a new buckskin jacket. "Oh, wow, its beautiful." She exclaimed. "Who's this from?"

Josie winked at Abigail. "Ma gave me hand to finish it a few months ago. I was going to give it to you for your birthday, but you weren't here."

"Its beautiful, thank you Josie."

Clara was the next to gasp as she pulled out a beautiful new gown. She looked up and saw the huge smile on Abigail's face, and knew it was her that had gotten her it. "Abigail, you shouldn't have."

"You deserve it." Abigail chuckled as she handed Bill a present from under the tree. "You've been working so hard, helping me out. It's a token of my appreciation. Go on, put it on."

"Alright. Thank you, again, Abigail" Clara got up and disappeared up the stairs to her bedroom.

"That one's from me." Josie told Bill as he began to unwrap the present. "I hope you like it, I couldn't think of anything else to get you."

Bill opened the box and pulled out a new gun holster. He was quite surprised, he didn't know what to say. "Why, thank you, Josie."

"I'm glad you like it." She handed Cody his present from her, then turned back to Bill. "I knew your old one was getting quite worn."

Cody opened up his present from Josie. "A new halter for Missie! Thank you Josie."

"Your welcome Cody. After breakfast, how about you and I go out and see if she likes it."

"You bet." He took the other present that Abigail handed him and opened it. "An erecter set! That's exactly what I wished for."

"I know." Abigail chuckled as she fondled Cody's hair. "Open yours up, Becky."

Becky didn't need to be asked twice. "Ice skates!" She pulled them out of the box, the surprise written all over her face. "I never thought I'd get these."

"You only mentioned them in every letter you wrote."

"Our turn." Cody said as he winked at Becky and Josie.

"Close your eyes." Becky instructed, then waited until Abigail had done as she requested, then she pulled Abigail's package from its hiding place under the couch and handed it to her.

"Okay, open them."

"What's this?" She asked as she took the box.

"Its from the three of us." Josie admitted as she pulled her blanket around her tighter.

"Open it." Cody told her with excitement.

Abigail smiled at them, then opened the box and pulled out the photo frame that was inside, with a photo of her children.

"Jack took it with his camera."

"Its beautiful."

"There's more."

Abigail noticed how thick it was, then looked at the other side. In it was a photo of Peter. She read the engraving at the bottom of the frame. "To our mother."

"We though that you'd want all your kids together." Becky explained as she placed her arm around Cody. "I'm glad you like it."

"I couldn't ask for a better gift." She looked at Becky, Cody and Josie, sitting together. "Or a better family." She glanced back at the photo, as if she was under a spell, then she looked back up as Jay walked in with Henry. She placed the picture aside as she stood up. "Jay, Henry."

"Thought I'd walk Henry over on the way to the jail." Jay explained as Josie made a quick exit to get changed. He looked at Bill. "I need to have a talk to you, I think Marshal's gone lame."

Bill understood what he was asking. "Alright, I'll come take a look." He stood up slowly, making sure that his head was feeling ok, then he put on his jacket. "I'll be back. Abigail, can you have some breakfast ready for when I do?"

"Sure, Bill." She and the kids began to pick up the paper off the floor, with Montana's help. "I only have to heat it up, how long do you think you'll be?"

"Not long." Bill walked out the door and closed it behind him, then turned to Jay as they walked across the deserted street to the livery stable. "Marshal's not lame, is he?"

"No." Jay opened the door to the livery. "I didn't want to speak about this in front of Abigail or the kids, but Bill, we're in for big trouble."

Bill sat down on the bale of hay beside Jay. "What kind of trouble?"

Jay pulled out a telegram. "One of the men spoke last night. They're working for a man called Ben Olsen. He's from Cheyenne, and he's tracking her down."

"I know him." Bill got a set look in his eye. "I've dealt with him before."

"Well, it appears that this man is on his way to Hope Valley." Jay continued with his story. "I got in contact with a friend, and he's left Cheyenne. If he's taking the train, he'll be here in a few days, if it can get through."

"I know what he's like." He began to think of what they could do. "He's not one to mess with. Why is he after Josie?"

"It appears that one of the men she killed, was his brother."

"Oh, no." He began to put the pieces together. "So, this gang was working for him to get Josie back to him?"

"Yes, and what's more, they said that he's vowed to find her wherever she is and take her back to hang."

"We can't let that happen."

"Your right, we can't." He stood up and began to pace the stall they were in. "What are we going to do though?"

Bill sighed. "I'm going to send out some telegrams, asking some people I know for advice about the problem. That's the first thing we're going to do, and the second is keep it quiet for the minute. We're not going to ruin Abigail and the kids Christmas, agreed?"

"Agreed." Jay stood up. "I best be going, I have to check on the stock. I'll keep and eye and an ear out for any more information."

"Maybe keep two out of both?" Bill replied as he handed Jay the horses bridle. He didn't say it in a joking tone either, he was quite worried about the repercussions this would have. "I appreciate that."

"Anytime, Bill, you know I'll help in any way I can."

"Thanks, Jay." Bill gave Jay a pat on the shoulder. "I'll see you around." He walked out of the barn and back to the café, where Abigail was already serving up breakfast. "Hmm, that smells good."

"How's Marshal?" Montana asked as she began to set the table.

"Oh, he's fine." He looked around the room and noticed Henry hard at work with Cody on making his crane set. Wonders would never cease. "It was nothing." He looked at Abigail, then quickly looked away.

Abigail noticed something in his tone, and the expression on his face. Putting down her pitcher of milk, she motioned for him to follow her into the other room. "Bill, what is it?"

Bill waited till he was sure the others couldn't hear, then he began to tell Abigail what the problem was, in a very concerned tone. "Jay has information, regarding the gang. There're working for a man, the brother of one of the men Josie killed, and he's coming for her. He's vowed to take her back to hang."

"Oh no." Abigail whispered, then listened to the laughter coming from the kitchen. "We can't tell them, it will ruin their day."

"Your right, but we need to be careful, we can't let Josie go out of town on her own, or he might take her and none of us would know." He looked around Abigail and made sure that no one was ease dropping. "I know this man, and he's dangerous."

"What are we going to do then?"

"I'm staying here, in the café. I'll sleep in the kitchen." He looked Abigail in the eye. "This man won't think twice of hurting you or the kids. I'll keep watch at night, and I'll stay close by during the day. I want you to wear that gun that Josie gave you. If something happens, you'll need to be able to protect you and the family."

"I understand." Abigail nodded her head. "He is really this dangerous?"

"I wish I could say no, but I can't. His own wife died under mysterious circumstances after they had a fight. I know it was him who killed her, but I didn't have enough evidence, and I was only twenty at the time. The Mounties had me on an assignment to track him down for child smuggling in Canada, but then he disappeared." He placed his hand on Abigail's shoulder. "We cant be too careful, if anything happened to you, or Josie-"

"I get it Bill." Abigail said as she looked at him, the courage and determination shining in her eyes. "If he comes here, looking for her, I have absolutely no problem in shooting him."

"Hopefully it won't come to that, I'll be close by most of the time. Keep Wolf and Cougar in the café too, they'll protect you guys."

"I will." She looked at him, her face showing her concern. "Do you think he'll come?"

"He will, its just a matter of time." He handed him the telegram that Jay had given him. "And he's on his way."

"When will you tell Josie?"

"Later, she doesn't need to know right now. I want her to enjoy her Christmas." He didn't say what else he was thinking, that it could be her last. "I'll tell her tonight, but I want you to put that gun on, the way Josie showed you so no one can see it."

"Alright." She was about to say more when they were interrupted by Clara walking in.

"Ooooh, its cosy in here." She teased when she saw Abigail and Bill. "Breakfast is ready, lovebirds."

Abigail turned around and rolled her eyes. "We're coming." She looked at Bill. "Guess that ended that."

"Thanks Clara." Bill retorted as they followed her into the kitchen. "That smells delicious."

"It tastes good too." Cody exclaimed as he took a bite out of his apple crumble. "I like your Christmas tradition of Cinnamon Apple Crumble for breakfast."

"That was Peter's favourite too." Abigail replied as Bill pulled out her chair for her. "We made it together every year."

Henry sat in silence as he ate his breakfast, ignoring the talk taking place around the table. The guilt from things he'd done in the past had been bothering him, and with the talk about Peter, it brought back memories of things he shouldn't have done. He had killed Noah and Peter, and yet here he was, sitting at Abigail's café, the café he had almost had taken from her. His thoughts were interrupted by Josie spilling her milk all over the table, some of it landing in his lap. "Josie."

"Sorry Mr. Gowan." Josie replied sheepishly as she tried to clean it up. "Sorry."

"Josie, its fine, I'll handle it." Abigail said as she stood up and grabbed a towel to clean the table. She picked up a plate of soggy bread as she mopped up the milk. "But I don't think the bread will forgive you."

This made Josie giggle, the first hint of her laughing since she'd been back. "I'm thinking that too." She handed her napkin to Henry. "Here, this might help a bit."

Henry took the napkin and began to dry off his trousers. "Thanks Josie."

Bill chuckled as he watched Abigail trying to clean the table. "I think we can just throw that table cloth in the next wash." He handed her another towel, then turned to Josie. "Next time, try not to knock over the entire pitcher of milk."

"So, you only want me to knock over half?" Josie replied cheekily, then pushed away her plate. "I've had enough."

Abigail saw how much she'd eaten, and it wasn't much. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." Josie nodded, then looked at Becky and Cody. "What are you guys planning on doing today?"

"Sledding." Becky replied as she wiped her mouth. "If the sleds are still in the shed."

"The sleds are still there." Josie replied as she stood up.

"Will you come sledding with us, Josie?" Cody asked with enthusiasm. "Its always fun when you come with us."

"I don't think so, Cody." Josie replied as she saw the gentle look Bill gave her. "I really should be careful, my head is still a bit sore from the other day, and I don't think Bill or ma would let me."

"Awwwwe." Cody complained. "Well, can you just come watch then?"

"I'm sure that would be okay." Josie replied, then turned to Montana. "What are you planning on doing?"

"Spend some time with you, help the girls in the kitchen, not much really." Montana replied as she began to take the dirty dishes to the sink. "Hopefully not burn the food to a crisp."

"What about Rob?" Josie asked, in a teasing voice. "Have you seen him yet?"

Montana went red. "Actually, no, I haven't. Not since I've been back."

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Abigail chuckled. "Go on, Clara and I can handle the kitchen."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, now go on! You two have a lot to catch up on."

"Thanks Abigail." Montana put on her coat and walked out of the café, closing the door behind her quietly.

"Do you think they'll get married soon?" Cody asked as he put on his hat and gloves. "They're acting like lovesick puppies"

"Cody." Bill teased. "And what would you know about love?"

"I know Ma and Frank." Cody replied simply, ignoring Abigail's gasp, not realizing what he had said. "Montana and Rob are acting the same way. Come on Becky, let's get sledding."

Becky looked at how red Abigail was. "Yes, I think that's a good idea." She quickly ushered him out the door, then quickly caught Abigail mouth the words "thank you." She looked at Cody. "Come on, race you to the shed."

Abigail looked back at Bill. "Oh dear."

Bill and Henry chuckled. "I think someone's paying more attention then any of us realize."

"I think your right." Abigail chuckled as she and Clara began to wash the dishes. "Cody needs to learn some manners."

"He's a boy, Abigail." Henry was even shocked that he spoke up. "I remember being his age. My mother was going to marry another man after my father died. I saw the way they acted. Kids notice more then you think."

Abigail nodded. "Cody really likes Frank, but since he's moved away, well…" She wasn't about to voice her thoughts about that to them, so she decided to change the subject. "Why don't you guys get out of the kitchen and leave us to cook, aright?"

"Sure." Bill was glad for the excuse. "Come on Henry, Josie."

Josie got up and went to put on her coat, but she still couldn't do the buttons up with the way her fingers were. Suddenly, she saw hands helping her do them up, and when she looked up, she saw it was Henry helping her. "Thank you."

Henry nodded, then as he looked up at Josie, while Bill and Abigail were talking in the background, he noticed the huge purple bruises on Josie's neck. "What happened, Josie?"

Josie looked away, trying to ignore his enquiring gaze. "Yesterday's mishap. He tried to strangle me."

Henry was silently fuming when he heard what the man had done to Josie, but then he was interrupted by Bill coming over.

"Ready to go?"

Josie nodded. "Yep." She opened the door, and walked out into the snowy street. The entire town was covered in a blanket of snow, and as she looked around, she got a naughty idea. She quickly glanced around and saw that Henry and Bill weren't watching her, they were busy talking. She quickly snuck down the stairs and hid, then began to make a heap of large snowballs.

Bill looked out the door and saw that Josie had disappeared. "Josie?" He walked out of the warm cafe, Henry following him. "Josie?" He didn't notice her crouching down beside the veranda and walked past, then felt a snowball explode on his back. He stopped and turned around as Josie began to laugh.

"Got you!" She giggled, then picked up the next one. "Watch out, Mr. Gowan!" She threw the next one straight at him, and laughed again as she scored a hit.

"Your on, Josie." Bill teased as he and Henry scooped up some snow. "Your turn to cop it." He threw the snowball, but Josie ducked and then she threw one of her own back. Snowballs quickly began to be thrown across the street, and as people from the town saw their fight in progress, they can out to join in on the fun.

Elizabeth and Jack came into town and saw the people having fun throwing snowballs at each other. "Shall we?" Elizabeth asked cheekily.

"You bet." Jack went over to Josie's side, and Elizabeth went over to Bills. "Need a hand?" He asked Josie as she ducked another snowball from Bill.

"Sure." She handed him a snowball, then yelped as one hit her. "Get Bill back." She teased, then threw another one at Elizabeth.

Abigail heard all the shouting and yelling and looked at Clara, then out the window. "Should we join them?"

Clara put down her dish cloth. "Most defiantly!" She ran to the door, then threw Abigail her coat as she put her own on. "Come on." She opened the door and ran over to join the side Jesse was on.

Abigail dodged snowballs as she ran over to Josie and Jack. She looked down at Josie, who was glowing red from the cold. "Need I ask who started this?"

"Nope." Josie handed her a snowball. "Get in the game!"

Abigail saw Bill smirking as he aimed for her, and she ducked behind Jack just in time, the snowball exploding all over him.

"Abigail!" He teased, then he saw Bill sneaking over and decided to have some fun. "No, you can hide there."

"Thanks Jack." Abigail went to bend over to make a snowball when she felt a cold handful of snow slide down the back of her neck. She jumped up to see Bill and the rest of the town killing themselves laughing. "Bill Avery!" She picked up a handful of snow and began to chase him around the town. "You get back here you!"

Josie watched the two of them running around and she was laughing so hard that tears began to run down her cheeks, then she saw Cody and Becky joining in on the fun. She got an idea of what they could do. "Cody, Becky!" She yelled. "Let's help Ma."

"Look out Bill." Jack teased as Josie, Cody and Becky joined Abigail in chasing him. "You'll cop it soon."

"Can you give a guy a hand?" Bill yelled back as he dodged another snowball.

"No, I'm having to much fun laughing at you." Jack retorted. "This is way better."

"Thanks a million." Bill called back. "Just for that, your on wood duty for the next month!" He yelped as one of the snowballs hit him in his back. "Can you let up already?"

"Nope." Abigail giggled as she got ready to throw another snowball, then Jay came cantering around the corner. "Ah, here to help us chase Bill?"

Jay saw what was going on and nodded. "Yep." He cantered his horse forward in front of Bill, then jumped off his horse and tackled Bill to the ground, the kids and Abigail jumping on top of him.

"Ooooowwww." Bill complained as Abigail and Josie poured snow down his neck. "Enough! Enough!"

"Are you sure?" Abigail teased. "You don't want more?"

"I'm sure." He rolled over and knocked Abigail and Josie off him into the snow, then got a handful of snow. "Your turn, again!"

"Bill! Stop!" Abigail yelped as she laughed, trying to stop him from putting snow down her neck. "I give in."

Bill gave a satisfied smile as he sat up, the five of them covered in snow. He helped Abigail shake the snow out of her coat, then gave Josie a hand up. "Well, we had fun?"

"You bet!" Cody shouted as he threw another snowball. "Come on, I haven't had much of a chance yet."

Abigail, Bill and Josie took off running, to get to the shelter of the other side of the road, the townspeople all joining back in their snowball fight, but now it was Bill, Abigail, Josie and Elizabeth against Lee, Jay, Henry, Becky and Cody.

Snowballs went flying through the air from both sides, and the town was filled with the sounds of excited laughter from both the spectators and the people playing in the street. Slowly people began to leave the fight and join the watching crowd to regain their breath until it was only Bill, Abigail and Josie left against Jay, Henry and Jack.

"Had enough yet?" Henry yelled as he threw another snowball at Josie.

Josie was about to reply, when she was cut off by coughing violently. She sat down on the snow, trying to stop, but she continued.

Bill looked down at her with concern. "Let's get you inside. The cold's getting to you." Josie didn't resist as he picked her up and carried her into the café, Abigail, Carson and Clara following.

Josie stopped coughing finally, and gave a sigh of relief. "I haven't had an attack like that for ages."

Carson raised his eyebrow. "Attack?"

"I've been having them for about three months." Josie admitted as she looked away from Abigail's concerned gaze. "That's one of the worst one's I've had."

"I want you to come over to the infirmary, so I can check you over Josie." Carson said as he handed her a glass of water. "That's a very nasty cough."

"It's Christmas Day, isn't it your day off?"

"A doctor's work is never over." Carson said as he looked at the clock. "If we go over now, you can be back over in time for lunch."

"Alright." Josie stood up, still avoiding Bill and Abigail's gaze. "As long as I can be back in time for lunch." She looked over at Cody and Becky as they ran through the door. "I want some turkey when I get back, so leave me some, alright?"

"Alright." Cody replied as Carson and Josie walked out of the café. "When's lunch, Ma?"

Abigail kept the concern for Josie out of her voice. "In about an hour. You and Becky can go play until then, but stay in town."

"Why?"

Abigail quickly came up with an excuse to keep them close, because of her concern for the Marshal they knew was coming. "This weather can get nasty quickly. I don't want you getting caught in a blizzard."

"Ok, we'll stay close to town." He grabbed a gingerbread cookie off the plate and picked up the halter Josie had made him. "I'm going to check on Missie." He and Becky ran back outside to the stable, Bill having to close the door after them.

"He's in a hurry." He chuckled as he turned back to Clara and Abigail. He saw the look of concern of Abigail's face. "She'll be fine, it's just from the cold."

"Your right." She pushed her concern aside as she threw Bill an apron. "We need to finish cooking the food for lunch."

"What do you want me to do?" Bill asked as he walked over to the table Abigail and Clara were working at.

Abigail heard a knock on the door, and looked up from her chopping. "You could grab that."

"Sure." He walked over and opened the door. When he saw the McGregor's, he opened the door wide. "Come on in out of the cold."

"Thanks Bill." Matt replied as the family walked in. "Its cold out there, and the temperature is still dropping."

Abigail looked over at them. "I'll be finished here shortly, why don't you all go into the café and I'll make you all some hot cocoa."

"That would be nice Abigail." Kathleen said as she ushered the kids on in front of her, Bill bringing up the rear.

"We actually came to see Josie." Amelia said as she sat down. "Is she here?"

"She's busy at the moment, but she should be here soon." Bill replied as he led them into the café and got a couple of chairs out for the ladies. "You guys missed an awesome snowball fight earlier."

"Really?" Michael whined. "Can we have one later?"

"I don't know." Bill looked at Kathleen. "Maybe, if your ma says yes."

"Can I?"

"Sorry Michael, but we'll have to go soon. We only came into to town for a short visit. If we have a storm, we won't be able to get back to the ranch, and then the animals wont have anyone to watch them."

"How about you go and play with Cody now instead?" Bill asked as he placed another log into the fire. "He's out in the stable out back."

"Alight." Michael walked out, the other kids following. He looked at the McGregor's gathered at the table and was about to sit down, to tell them what had taken place when he was interrupted by Josie coming into the café. "Need a hand getting that coat off, Josie?"

"That would be great, thanks." Josie replied as she struggled to take it off, then she saw the McGregor's gathered at the table. Leaving Bill to hang up her coat, she ran over to them. "Emily, Kathleen, Danni!" She gave them each a hug, then turned to the men and shook their hands. "Matt, Colin." She looked around and noticed Rob wasn't with them. "Rob off with my sister, hey?"

Matt nodded. "Yes, they went off to check Montana's house." He looked at Josie fondly. "Quite an adventure you've had, I hear."

Josie turned pale at the mention of her time away. "That's what you might call it." She looked at Snow Maiden and Amelia. "What have you told them?"

Amelia laughed, then glanced at Josie cheekily. "Only a few things. Like you having an unplanned dunk in the river when that stallion bucked you off, and also when you surprised that skunk and he sprayed you."

"Very. Funny." Josie said slowly as her face went red. "You could have left out the details."

"Oh, it was very amusing." Colin teased, but as he looked at her, he could see something else in her eyes, something that he couldn't figure out, but thought best not to ask her about it in front of everyone. "And she told us about you stopping that stampede."

"You told them about that?" Josie asked shocked as she looked at Amelia. "Why?"

Amelia brushed Josie's angry tone off. "You were a hero, you saved all those horses, and nearly got yourself killed in the process."

Bill looked at Josie sternly. He hadn't heard this before. "What on earth did you get yourself into, young lady?"

"It was nothing." Josie looked away from his face, then heard Abigail coming in and decided to change the subject. "Is lunch ready?"

"Almost." Abigail replied as she sat down. "The turkey is almost done, just needs a little longer." She was interrupted by the kids coming back in. "Close the door Cody."

"Yes, Ma." Cody shouted from in the kitchen, then the kids came running into the front room. "It's snowing again!"

"Really?" Matt asked as he looked at their rosy red faces. "I hoped it would have waited a bit longer."

"It is snowing." Bill said as he walked over to the window and peered out. "And it's snowing heavy too."

Matt stood up. "We have to go now then, or we'll never get home." He handed the women their coats. "Quickly."

Colin glanced over at Josie, then got an idea how he could stay in town, so that he could talk to her. "I'm going to stay, Pa, if its not too much trouble. Josie might need help with the horses here."

Kathleen and Matt ushered the children out to the wagon. "That's fine Colin." Matt helped his wife into the wagon, then picked up the reins. "Sorry we have to go so soon."

"Its fine." Abigail nodded as she reassured them it was okay. "You better get going, or you won't make it before it turns into a blizzard." She and Josie waved as they drove away, then Abigail led Josie back into the café. "Its really getting cold out there."

Josie coughed again as she went back inside the café and over to the fire, soaking in the warmth. "Thanks for staying Colin, you'll save me having to go do the horses."

Colin closed the door after Abigail, then walked over to Josie. "Happy to help. Nasty cough by the way. Have you seen Carson about it?"

"Yes." Josie assured as she coughed into her handkerchief again. "I was just over there."

"What did he say?" Abigail asked, then motioned to Bill. "Can you check the turkey please? I don't want it to burn." Bill nodded and walked into the kitchen with Clara, and she turned back to Josie.

"He say's my lungs have been damaged, from the cold and from the fact that I haven't had decent food for nearly four months. He wants me to stay inside, till it warms up to let them rest."

"Good idea." Abigail placed her hand on Josie's shoulder. "Let's go have lunch, shall we?"

* * *

The rest of Christmas day was uneventful, just the family enjoying each other's company, and the fact that Josie had returned. A couple days after Christmas, Becky returned to college, escorted by Bill, to get ready for her exams. Jack left Hope Valley to go back to the Northern Territories for his assignment after New Year's, and Jay with his brothers help took the gang into Cape Fullerton, life going on in the little mountain town.

When Bill retuned after taking Becky back to college, he had told Josie what he had learnt, that the man's brother she had killed was after her. He had to tell her, he had no other choice, so that she was warned that he was coming, but Bill was sure that if she stayed near the town, she would be safe. He hoped she would be safe, there was nothing else really that he could do, except watch her like a hawk, making sure that the Marshal didn't take her. He'd contacted a few people he knew about what had happened, but the reply's he got back weren't very heartening. He didn't let Abigail or Josie know about his fears, instead he went about his work, but still staying close to them. He'd told Colin what had happened, and he stayed at the Café during the day, when he wasn't there.

Josie finally opened up to Colin the day after Christmas, when she had went out to the barn to feed the horses. She'd told him everything that had happened, and he was shocked and angry that McCallsiter had treated her like that. When Bill asked him to stay with the ladies in the café, he had been more than happy to help to do his part to keep them safe. Even Montana decided to stay at the café longer than she had first intended, to just make sure that Josie was okay, but none of it could quell the rising feeling of anxiousness that was rising in her. She knew that he was coming, and when he came, it would be the end of the line for her. Abigail and Bill kept it secret from Cody about what had really happened, but they both knew that the truth would come out soon, it was only a matter of time.

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 **Hehehe, I'll just leave it there for the time being... Remeber McCallister... well... No, i'm not gonna spoil it!1**


	25. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

 **Hehehehehehe... A big story twist is coming in this chapter that you wont see coming... Hehehe, and i might add too that i quite like the twist i came up with... You'll be rather surprised...**

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A few days after New Year's, Josie went out to do the horses by herself. It had taken a bit of convincing to Abigail that she was fine, but she felt that it would be okay for her to just go out to the barn unassisted. As she poured oats into the horse's buckets, she had the most peculiar feeling that she was being watched, and she didn't like it at all. She looked up and placed the bucket down, then walked out of the stall, only to find an unfamiliar man in the hallway of the barn. She didn't stop to ask questions, she turned tail and fled out of the barn, the man following her. She came to the corral fence and sprung over it, twisting as she jumped so that her skirt wouldn't snag on it. She could hear the man fall as he tried to go over it, and he began to swear and cuss at her as she ran faster, trying to get to the safety of someone who could defend her. This would have been fun, leading him on a merry chase, if it wasn't a run for her life. She hadn't worn her pistol that morning, as her hands were still getting over the frostbite, but as she heard him getting closer, she wished she had. She bolted around the corner of the jail, and as she looked back to see how far behind he was, she slammed into Bill as he can out the door of the Jail and nearly knocked him off his feet. "Sorry." She panted as she caught her breath, Bill holding her as he wondered what on earth was going on. "There's a guy chasing me."

Bill looked up as a man ran around the side of the jail, as he held Josie, who was shaking from fear. "What is going on here?" He roared as the man came to a stop in front of them, then he recognized him. The man standing in front of him was Ben Olsen.

Ben walked forward closer as Josie cowered in Bills arms. He pulled out his lawman badge, and showed it to Bill, not realizing that he already knew who he was. "Ben Olsen." He looked down at the girl who was pressing against Bill. "As marshal of Cheyenne, it is my duty to arrest this child on three accounts of murder, to take her back to stand trial." He stared at Bill in the eyes as he tried to grab Josie's arm. "Step aside. Sir."

Bill's eyes flashed with anger as Josie trembled behind him, she'd tried to move away from the man when he attempted to wrestle her from Bill's grasp. He could feel her fear, and as he looked at the man standing like a tower in front of him, he realised this was worse than he had thought. He quickly wrangled his emotions under control, then returned the man's gaze with his own stare. When he spoke, his voice was barely about a whisper. "If she has to be arrested, I will not let you do it. She is not in your town, and she's not in America. She's in my town, and if she has to be arrested, I will do it myself."

"And who are you to stop me?"

"Bill Avery. Sheriff of Hope Valley."

Ben recognized the name. This was the man who had been on his tail nearly thirty years ago, but he couldn't be sure that Bill knew who he was. He began to get angry as Bill looked away from him and went to speak to Josie, then he snapped. "It is necessary! Hurry up and arrest her before I lose my temper, or I'll do it myself! I have no problem in adding you to my list of people I've disposed of"

Bill turned and looked at Josie. He wanted to tell this man that he was no longer sheriff, if it meant he had to arrest his adopted daughter, but if he did that, he couldn't protect Josie from this skunk of a man. And this man was threatening to kill him. If he did, how on earth could he protect her then? It was either arrest her himself, or possibly deal with much worse. He could see the fear and utter terror in Josie's eyes as she returned his gaze. "Josie." He spoke her name, trying not to let his voice break, not wanting this man to see his emotions. "Honey.."

Josie looked up at him, tears running down her face, but she made no sound as she cried. "Do what you have to do." She whispered as she held out her arms for Bill to cuff them, then she looked up into his eyes. "You can't stop what's going to happen."

Bill had to look away from Josie as he clicked the cuffs shut. He didn't say another word as he let her put her arms down. Her wrists were so small that the big cuffs nearly slid off. He gently put his hand on her shoulder and motioned for her to go in the jail, noticing how happy the Marshal seemed to be as he opened the door.

Bill ignored Henry's curious gaze as he opened the other jail cell, then he took the handcuffs off Josie, ignoring the stare the Marshal gave him; then he pulled the door shut, with Josie inside. His heart was broken as he looked at her tear stained face, fresh tears running rivers through the dust on her cheeks. "Honey." His voice finally broke as he gently tried to reassure her. "I'm sorry." He saw Josie look away, then turned back to the Marshal. "Its best you leave now. You've seen me lock her up."

Ben looked at Bill suspiciously. "I want to make sure that you don't let her go. I'll be staying right here."

Bill wanted the man gone, even if it meant he had to say something he didn't want to. "You have my word. She will still be here. Now get." His eyes shot daggers as the Marshal walked out of the jail, then he walked back to Josie. As he looked at her, he brushed the tears off her cheeks through the bars with his hand, both of them ignoring the questioning looks from Henry. "I'm so sorry honey."

"You did what you had to do." Josie replied as she pulled herself together. "I'm not blaming you for anything."

Bill glanced into her eyes for a few moments, then he had to look away. He couldn't stand to see the understanding and sympathy she was showing him when she was on death row. It only made it harder for him, her trying to ease his pain. "I'm going to get Abigail, okay?"

Josie nodded as she placed her hand on top of his. "Please? And tell Montana too. She needs to hear it from you, and not from the town when the word gets around."

"Alright." Bill promised, then gave her a kiss on the forehead through the bars. "Its going to be alright, I'll do everything I can to get you out of this mess." He saw her nod, then she walked over and sat down on the bed, her back turned to him so he couldn't see her crying. Bill looked over at Henry and walked over to the mans cell, pulling himself together as he unlocked his door. "You'll be going back in a few days." He said without emotion as he let him leave his ceil. "But for today, you're going to finish painting the Lee's office."

For once Henry didn't come out with something sarcastic as Bill escorted him out of the jail. "Bill, what's happened with Josie?"

Bill stopped walking, the two of the standing in the deserted street. "She has a warrant on her head for three murders. She killed three men in self-defence, but this man is the brother of one she killed. He wants to take her back to face trial, and hang."

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know." He admitted, then he looked at the café, knowing that the next job would be even harder. "You go off to work, I'm trusting you Henry. I need to go tell Abigail."

"Alright." He turned at walked in the direction of Lee's office, saying a silent prayer for both Josie and Abigail.

As Bill walked to the café, he was glad that there was no one in the street to see what had happened. Knowing this town, the news would be spread quickly. He walked into the café and saw Clara setting the tables for the breakfast rush. "Where's Abigail?"

Clara looked up from the table, wondering what the meaning was behind his tone of voice. "You just missed her, she wanted to get an early start at the office."

"Thanks." Bill walked out of the café as quickly as he had walked in, not saying another word to Clara, who was wondering what on earth had gotten him in a pickle. "Abigail?" He called as he opened the door to the Mayor's office. "We need to talk."

"Yes?" Abigail looked up from her bookwork, then when she saw the expression on his face she got up and walked over to him. "What's wrong?"

"I um…" he paused, wondering what the best way was to tell Abigail what had taken place. "I had to arrest Josie."

"Oh no." Abigail knew instantly why, he didn't have to say it. She quickly grabbed her coat and gloves and without another word, left the office and went to the jail, Bill by her side.

As Bill opened the front door for her, Abigail walked in and saw Josie curled up in a ball on the bed, crying. She glanced at Bill. "Can I go in, please?" Bill nodded as he unlocked and opened the door, then she walked in and sat down beside Josie. She gently pulled Josie onto her lap and began to hold her tight, trying to somewhat ease her daughters fear and pain.

Josie held on to Abigail. "Ma." She whimpered like a five year old child. "I'm scared."

"Ssssh, ssssh." Abigail replied as she hugged her daughter tighter. "I know you are." She looked up at Bill, and he could see that it was breaking her.

He walked over and sat down beside them, trying to comfort both of them, but not accomplishing it much. He didn't know how long they sat there, till the marshal came back in and saw them in the ceil with Josie.

"How cosy." He snarled as he walked in. "Comforting a murderer, how touching."

Abigail stood up and marched out towards the man before Bill could stop her. "How dare you!" Her eyes flashed like an angry cat. Only a few people had ever seen her this angry, and it wasn't pretty. "That is my daughter your talking about!"

"Oh, I know she's your daughter." He glared back at her as Bill walked up, standing beside Abigail.

Abigail's shock didn't dampen her anger. "How?"

"Georgette! Get in here!" He yelled, then gave them a mean smile. "Oh, I have my spies." He chuckled as Snow Maiden walked in the room. "Meet my daughter, Georgette Olsen."

Abigail looked dumfounded as she looked at Snow Maiden. "Snow Maiden?"

Georgette chuckled ghastly. "Its Georgette to you, you pie of a mayor. Your all as dumb as that useless daughter of yours." She laughed as she saw Josie in the ceil. "She had that coming all along."

Bill started to get angry himself. "What? How on earth-?" He couldn't understand it, then it began to come to him. "You've been working together, planning this for ages, haven't you?"

The Marshal chuckled. "You could say that. We've been waiting a long time for this."

Bill looked at Abigail, her temper and protectiveness over Josie reminding him of a bear robbed of her cubs. "Oh really? How about you explain yourself." He walked closer to both Georgette and Ben. "Now."

"Oh, its easy." Georgette talking in perfect English, her fake Indian accent no longer needed. "My father was hired by a Thomas McCallister to keep an eye on that girl." She spat the words out like they were poison. "I got assigned the horrendous job of watching her every move, then when she got hurt and I looked after her, I began to earn her trust. I couldn't let her know who I was, could I? She smiled meanly as she looked at the look on Abigail's face. "My instructions were to kill her when I had a chance, but I couldn't with that stupid Amelia around could I?"

"I don't understand, we all thought you were an Indian girl who helped Josie." Abigail stammered as she couldn't figure it out.

"Georgette's mother was an Indian. I had planned on getting Josie before, but it was easier to let her do all the work." He glanced over at Josie. "Took me awhile, but when your hung, I'll be getting a very nice pay check from McCallister."

"Wait, so McCallister is paying you to have my daughter hung?" Abigail's eyes snapped with anger. "And you would stoop that low to do that?"

"Yes, I would. McCallister had friends in high places, and let's say, they're not happy that a small-town sheriff was able to get him in prison, and getting her hung is the perfect revenge, she just made it easier for us, killing those men."

"It was self-defence." Abigail exploded. "She killed them when they tried to hurt her, and your daughter."

"They'll never believe that in a court of law." He chuckled, then looked at his daughter dressed in English clothes. "Let's go get the second part of our plan into action."

"And what's that?" Bill growled as the two people turned to leave.

"By lunch time, the entire town will know about this. You know how little towns love to talk." He shot his parting remark. "Enjoy the little time you have left with your pathetic excuse of a daughter."

Bill glared after them as he left, then he looked at Abigail as he placed his hand on hers. "I need to stop him, somehow."

"Yes, but how?"

"I'm going to contact the circuit judge, see if we can have a hearing. If he says that there is not enough evidence against her, the charges can be dropped."

"And if?"

"Well, we would have done the best we could have. I'm going to get that telegram sent out right now." He went to go to the door. "You can stay here with Josie, if you like."

"I would, thank you Bill."

* * *

Montana and Amelia were on a stroll through the town, when they saw Bill hurriedly walking from the jail to the General Store. "Wonder what the go is with him." Montana remarked to Amelia.

"I don't know." Amelia replied, then Montana quickly pulled her to the side of a building. "What's wrong?"

Montana peered around the corner of the building cautiously, then motioned for Amelia to look. "Snow Maiden is with a man, and she's being very friendly to him, I think." She took a closer look at the man, than gasped. "It's him!"

"Who?"

"The man I shot, back in Colorado."

Amelia looked at the marshal, and back at Montana. "What do you think he's here for?"

"I don't know." She thought for a second, then it came to her. "He's here for Josie!" She made sure that the man didn't see her. "We need to tell Bill. Its best if we wait in the jail, he'll be back soon."

"Right." Amelia agreed as she slunk beside Montana to the jail.

Montana opened the door to the jail, and as she walked in, she was surprised to see Abigail sitting on the bunk in the ceil, and more surprised to see Josie crying on her lap. She looked at Amelia, then walked over to them quickly. "Abigail? Josie?"

Abigail looked up at Montana. "So, Bill told you?"

"Told me what?"

"Josie's been arrested."

Montana looked at Josie and saw her nod. "What? Why?"

"That man that's been after her came into town today, he threatened to kill him if he didn't arrest her." Abigail explained. "Bill's gone to telegram the circuit judge, hoping to get a trial here so that we can stop them from hanging her."

"Then what on earth is Snow Maiden doing with him?" Amelia asked, not understanding what was going on.

Josie suddenly snapped at the mention of her name. "That witch is a traitor! She's his daughter! He had her with me all that time with the intent of her killing me."

"What?" Amelia exploded. "That, that-" She didn't say out loud the word she was thinking of. "And to think that we trusted her."

"She fooled us all." Bill agreed as he walked back in. "I've sent the telegram, now its just a waiting game. Hopefully he gets it in time."

Montana turned to Bill. "I know that man."

"Really? How?"

"He's the one I shot back in Colorado. He was on my trail for ages. If he knows I'm here, he could try to get revenge on me too."

"How much does Georgette know?" He asked Amelia.

"Georgette?"

"Snow Maiden. Georgette is her real name." He pulled up a chair and sat down in the ceil with them. "Tell me what she would know, we need to figure out how much Ben knows."

"Basically everything." Amelia sighed. "But I'm sure that she doesn't know that Montana shot her father, or that she's here."

"And I'd like to keep it that way." He looked at Montana. "Now I know you'd want to stay with your sister, but its best if you leave town for a while. Elizabeth is taking a trip to Hamilton tomorrow. I want you on the stage with her."

"But Bill."

"No buts Montana." Bill said strongly. "If he knows you're here, he could try and get you in trouble, or put a bullet in you back when you're not watching. You need to go, it's safer."

"Montana, you need to go." Josie hissed. "Don't worry about me, you need to stay safe. As far as we know, he doesn't know you're here. Get out while you can."

"I could take you with me."

"No." Josie replied with force. "No, you will not get yourself in trouble over me. I won't allow it. You better go before he comes back."

"She's right." Abigail agreed. "You don't need to get in trouble with the law again, and you better hurry, I'm sure he'll be coming back."

"Alright." Montana gave in. "I'll go."

"Good." Josie replied, satisfied, then she pulled a little package out of her pocket. "I want you to have this. I fixed it up the other day."

"What is it?"

"Open it."

Montana opened up the little envelop, and pulled out a beautiful silver locket and necklace, with the inscription _Your In My Heart._ It was the necklace she had given Josie when she was in jail, but this time the clasp wasn't broken "Oh, Josie, I can't."

"You have to." Josie said as she took the necklace and placed it around her neck, exactly the same thing Montana had done three years earlier to her, in the same ceil. "It belongs to both of us."

Montana's eyes began to glisten a little. "Oh, my sweetie." She gave Josie a hug, savouring the moment. It might be their last. "I'll be praying this gets sorted out."

"I know you will." Josie replied, then jumped as the door opened and Henry rushed in.

"Montana, you have to get out, that Marshal is coming." He panted as he closed the door, hoping that his warning gave her enough time to get out.

"Oh God." Montana gave Josie a quick hug. "Love you, sweetie."

"Go, Montana, go." Josie said as she released her hold on her sister. "Go!"

Bill quickly took control of the situation. "Amelia, distract them, Montana, follow me." He grabbed Montana's hand and dragged her out the back door, just as the Marshal and Georgette walked in the front.

"Well, looks like there's a party going on in here." Georgette remarked as she walked in, then she saw Amelia. "I thought you'd be here."

Amelia stood up and marched over to Georgette and her father. "Yes, you thought right, and might I add that I am disgusted with you. You betrayed our trust."

"More fool you." She laughed. "It's worth it, with the pay check that I'm getting. It will give me enough to get me started with my own ranch, and those horses I helped you move can start my business."

"Those are Josie's horses."

"Well, they'll be a lot of use to her when she's dead." She sneered. "We're taking her back to Wyoming tomorrow. To hang."

This made Abigail get up and take a stand next to Amelia. Time for round two. "You're not moving her, you understand?"

"And who's to stop us?" Ben sneered as he leant closer to her, trying to intimidate Abigail to make her stand down. "A pig-headed woman, who thinks she owns the town."

Abigail's hand went to her concealed gun, but she was saved by Jay walking in. "Thank God you here."

Jay took a quick survey of who was in the room. "What's going on?"

"Apparently, they won't let me take that murderer back to stand trial." Ben snarled as he looked at Jay. "And who the heck are you?"

"Jay McGregor. The Gunsmith." He stared at Ben. "And I think its best you get your filthy butt out of here." He pulled back his coat and showed him his Marshal and Mountie badge. "Now get." He watched Ben and Snow Maiden leave, wondering why she left. "What's her problem?"

Abigail sighed as she looked at Jay, then walked back to Josie. "She's his daughter." She replied, rather strained. "They're getting paid by McCallister to get rid of Josie." She saw Henry standing awkwardly to the side. "You can go, Henry, you've done all you can."

Henry nodded. "Alright." He left the jail and went back to Lee's office, and Jay turned back to Abigail.

"What?" Jay didn't believe it. "And I thought she was such a nice girl." He said it in a joking way. "I should have taken the warning Wolf and Kinchie gave me."

"Warning?" Josie asked. "What did they do?"

"I had to pull Wolf off from attacking her the first night he saw her. He plum hates her."

"Wolf has never been wrong before, he's always been right around a person's character." Josie looked at Jay, then got an idea. "Can you bring Wolf and Cougar here? They should stay away if they know their here."

"Why, certainly." He smirked. "Good idea." He looked around, and noticed that Bill wasn't in the room. "Where's Bill?"

Abigail motioned for him to lean down and she whispered in his ear. "That was the Marshal Montana shot, Bill's getting her out of town, before he finds she's here." She looked at the time. "You best get going, I can stay here."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure, you need to get out and try to find a way to get Josie out of this mess."

* * *

Bill pulled the horse to a stop outside Elizabeth's rowhouse and let Montana get off before he dismounted himself, then he quickly leapt up the stairs and knocked on the door. "Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth left her book, went to the door and opened it. "Bill?"

Bill pushed Montana into the rowhouse, then closed the door behind him. "Sorry to barge in like this Elizabeth, but I need your help."

"Certainly." She replied, a bit surprised. "What can I do?"

"You need to take Montana with you to Hamilton. She can't stay here." He pulled down the blind that opened over the window looking out onto the street. "There's a man here, the one that Montana shot. He's here for Josie, but he doesn't know that Montana's here. I want to keep it this way." He handed her Jack's spare pistol. "I don't want to scare you, but you might have to use this. Do you know how?"

"I've shot a pistol before." Elizabeth replied as she took the gun. "But how are we going to get Montana on the stage without this man or anyone else seeing her and spilling the beans."

"Leave it to me, I have an idea." He opened the door to go out but stopped long enough to look back. "I'll feel better once you two are halfway to Hamilton, you need to be careful. I'm going to send Rob over to stay the night, and he can escort you both to Hamilton. I'll be back to check on you two later, alright?"

"Yes." Elizabeth replied, then she turned to Montana after he had left. "So, what's all this about?"

"Josie killed three people in Cheyenne."

"Oh no."

"And now this Marshal, Ben Olsen has come here for her. Bill had to arrest her this morning, and it turns out that Snow Maiden is no Indian hero, she's the man's daughter, and they're both working for McCallister."

Elizabeth gasped. "How's Abigail and Josie taking it?"

"As best as they can, it's a hanging offense."

"I need to go and see her. Are you okay here, I won't be long."

"Yes." Montana got her gun out and made sure it was loaded. "And I have no problem shooting that man if he comes for me."

"Alright, I won't be long." Elizabeth walked out of the rowhouse and locked the door behind her, then started the walk to town. As she walked into the town, she saw little groups of people everywhere, obviously talking about what had happened. She turned around as she heard footsteps coming up behind her. "Rosemary!"

"Have you heard the news about Josie?"

"Yes." Elizabeth sighed. "I have."

"I would never have thought she was a murderer. Its funny that people we trust can be totally someone else when your back is turned."

Elizabeth hushed Rosemary. "What have you heard?"

"Apparently, she shot three men in cold blood."

"That's not true!" Elizabeth almost shouted. "She did it in self-defence. Where did you hear that?"

"Florence came in the shop and told me not five minutes ago."

"Well, you can go back and tell Florence that whoever told her that is spreading a lie. Josie doesn't want her business all over town, but it seems like that's going to happen. And don't you go spreading any. Abigail and Josie have more things to worry over, like stopping her from getting hung."

"I'm sorry Elizabeth." Rosemary said her apology with sincerity. "I won't spread it."

"Good." Elizabeth gave her friend a hug. "I'm going to go check on Abigail. Bye Rosemary."

"Bye Elizabeth."

Elizabeth continued her stroll through town to the jail, and when she got inside, she was surprised to see that the only people inside were Bill and Josie, in her ceil. "Where's Abigail, Bill?"

"She went to go and get Josie some breakfast. She'll be back soon."

"Alright." Bill looked at Elizabeth, and noticed that she hadn't spoken everything. "What else is there?"

"Rosemary told me that someone is spreading rumours about Josie. They're saying that she killed three men in cold blood."

"She didn't."

"I know that, and you know that, but who else will believe that?"

"A lot of them."

"Exactly."

Bill looked at the clock. "I'm going to go see if a telegram's come in for me." He motioned to Josie sitting on her bed, reading a book. "You can go see her if you like."

"Alright." Elizabeth walked over to Josie and sat down beside her, talking to her gently.

Bill folded his papers and placed them back in his desk, then stood up and left the office, heading to the General Store. As he opened the door, the people inside the store stopped talking suddenly and tried to ignore his presence. "Did I interrupt anything?"

Ned glanced over at him, then motioned for him to come over. "That Marshal and his pathetic excuse of a daughter have been spreading things around Josie all over town. People are now saying that you should be fired, because you won't let them take a murderer back to hang."

"Buts she's not a murderer." Bill banged his fist on the glass desk. "Have I got any replies from the telegrams?"

"No, sorry Bill. Nothing."

Bill gave a frustrated sigh. "Alright, thanks Ned." He walked back out, running his fingers through his hair. Clearing Josie's name was going to be harder than he thought.

* * *

Bill was going through his law books late that night when he heard sobbing coming from Josie's direction. He looked at the time and to his surprise he saw it was almost midnight, he'd gotten so involved with his books that he'd forgotten the time. Quietly so that he didn't wake Henry he got up, unlocked Josie's ceil and walked in, taking his chair with him. He placed the chair beside Josie's bed and sat down. "Josie?"

"I'm fine." Josie replied, not convincingly. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not." Bill placed his hand on her shoulder. "Do you want me to stay with you?"

"Please?"

"Sure honey." He stroked her hair gently, trying to get her back to sleep. "You grab some sleep now, alright?"

"Alright." Josie repeated, then closed her eyes as Bill wrapped his arm around her.

Bill sat watching Josie sleep, the office gently lit by the light from the fire. This child was no murderer. How could he let them just take her back and kill her? Just to make McCallister happy. There was no way he was going to let that happen, no way.

* * *

Abigail was working late in the café that night, trying to keep busy to ease her mind, but even with the amount of pies she had been making, it still hadn't helped. She had sent Cody to bed early, he had been really upset when he'd heard the news, but she didn't know how to help him, or Josie.

As she took another pie out of the oven, she heard footsteps walking on her porch, and it sounded like they were coming to her door. She jumped a little as the door opened, but she expected to see either Bill or Elizabeth there, and she really didn't expect to see Ben walk in. She turned away from him, trying to ignore his presence, hoping that if she did that, he would leave, but it didn't work.

"Well, well, well." Ben said, and by the way his words slurred, Abigail could tell that he had been drinking something stronger than milk. "Looks like its just you and me, all alone, in here."

"Get your hands off me." Abigail snapped as she felt him grabbing her arms. "Get out of my café!"

"Oh, a feisty one, hey?" He asked as he tried to kiss her, but Abigail got an arm free and slapped him. "I wouldn't try that again if I were you." He grabbed her again, more roughly this time. "Now you and I are going to get acquainted."

"Oh, no we're not." Abigail used a trick that Josie had taught her and got her arm free again, this time getting out her gun and shoved the barrel full in the man's chest. "Now, I have no problem blowing you to kingdom come if you don't remove yourself from my kitchen this instant. Now get out!"

Ben looked at her. "You wouldn't dare shoot an officer of the law."

Abigail returned her gaze. "Stand here any longer and you'll find out." She cocked back the hammer, then she heard the door open and Jay walked in. "Looks like I'll have a witness too."

Ben snorted. "Your just everywhere, aren't you?"

Jay ignored his comment as he saw Abigail holding the Marshal at gunpoint, and when he smelt the alcohol on Ben, he knew what had happened. "It might be best for you to listen to the little lady about this one."

"Oh really, why?"

"Well, considering she has a gun pointed in your chest right now, you might what to oblige to her request to leave."

"And how would you know she asked me to leave?"

"I have very good hearing." He sassed back, then looked at Abigail. "What do you want me to do with him?"

Abigail placed her gun back in its holster as she saw Jay take over the situation. "Lock this trash up in the jail, I'm pressing charges for assault."

"Certainly Madam." He grabbed Ben roughly by the arm, his tone changing. "You want to be thankful that I got here before she shot you, because she would have if I didn't turn up. Now move."

* * *

The next morning, Bill walked into the café. Jay had taken Ben into the office and he'd stayed their overnight, but he had to release him on the fact that there was no witnesses to the actual attempted assault. Bill hated it, but it was the law. He hated that the man had actually thought that he could have Abigail, and hated him for trying, but he was impressed with how Abigail had handled the situation. As he opened the café door, Cody ran downstairs to meet him.

"Sheriff Avery, why did you arrest my sister?"

Bill put his arm on Cody's shoulder. "Because, I had to."

"Why?"

"It's complicated."

"Are they really going to take her away again?"

"Yes, if I can't stop it."

"Then why did you arrest her?"

"Cody, like I said, its complicated."

"I don't care if its complicated." Cody started to get mad at Bill. "I thought you loved her."

Cody's words hit Bill in the heart. "I do Cody, I do."

"Then why arrest her? Why not just get rid of them?"

"Because I can't."

"Why?"

Bill looked at Cody. "Cody, I'm trying my best alright?"

"Its not alright!" Cody yelled. "Your letting them take her!"

"Cody!" Bill shouted as the boy ran out the door, slamming it shut behind him. He sighed, and when he looked up, he saw Abigail standing there. "Sorry Abigail."

"I'm sorry, Bill." Abigail apologized. "Cody's been upset since he found out. And it doesn't make it any easier that Georgette betrayed her. He's mad at her, and he's mad at you. He's just mad at everyone."

"I understand." He motioned for Abigail to sit down. "It would be hard for him, Josie's always been there for him."

"Yes, and he thinks your letting them take her."

Bill nodded. "I'll go talk to him later, but first." He sighed. "I had to release Ben Olsen. There was not enough evidence to keep him in."

"I know." Abigail growled. "I hate the law sometimes." She rolled up her dress sleeves and showed Bill the bruises on her arms from the man. "Got a couple nice shiners for my trouble."

"You're lucky it wasn't worse."

"I know." Abigail feel silent, thinking about that could have taken place. "I'm glad it wasn't though."

"Your right." He looked at the clock. Normally at this time of day the café would be bustling, but there was no one in there, except them. "Where did the breakfast rush go?"

"Ben Olsen isn't only just spreading rumours about Josie, he's spreading them around you and I too. He's trying to convince people to get you fired and to ship Josie out of town. And apparently he's succeeding."

"I thought that they couldn't be that gullible."

"Well, they are." Abigail poured herself a cup of tea from the pot, then took a sip. "Any news from the people you contacted?"

Abigail's question reminded Bill of what he'd come for. "Yes."

Abigail saw the look on his face. "And its not good, is it?"

"Not really." He pulled out a few telegrams from his pocket. "It seems that this man has connections. High connections. So, no one is willing to be on our side for Josie." He handed her one of them. "Only good news is that the Judge is Judge Parker."

"Judge Parker." Abigail spoke his name, trying to remember who he was. "Isn't he the one that did the mining trial?"

"The same."

"When will he be here?"

"In two days, he's coming in on the stage from Oak Flat."

"Two days?"

"Two days."

Abigail sighed. "And we still don't have a lawyer for Josie. Do you know who the prosecutor is?"

"Some person that Olsen's brought in." Bill took the telegram back after she finished reading it. "And I can bet that he's paying him to not ask certain questions, especially about how Georgette is involved."

"Your probably right there."

Bill stood up. "I have to go Abigail, I need to go and check on Josie. You've got it handled here?"

"Yes." She replied, then remembered. "Is Montana safe?"

"She is." Bill whispered back, in case anyone was listening. "She's on here way with Elizabeth to Hamilton as we speak."

"That's a relief, now all we have to worry about it Josie."

"Your right there." Bill agreed, then he had an idea. "I think I know where I can get a lawyer from."

"Where?"

"You remember that girl, Lucy Benson I helped a few years back?"

"Yes." Abigail couldn't figure what he was getting at. "What can she do?"

"She studied to be a lawyer, I got a letter from her a couple months back, letting me know that she had finished." He stood up, suddenly feeling better than he had been. This might be part of the answer. "How long will it take for you to get me a couple sandwiches done?"

"A few minutes." Abigail walked into the kitchen, Bill following and began to quickly throw some food together. "You're riding out now, I'm guessing."

"Yes, I can be there and back by tomorrow, if I start now." He took the sandwiches she held out to him. "Tell Jay he'll need to stay at the Jail, I don't want Ben harassing Josie while I'm gone, if you get what I mean."

"Understood." She gave him a quick hug. "Be careful."

"I will." He quickly opened the door and went out to the livery stable, tacked up Jerry and rode off, in the direction of Lucy's house.

Jay saw him leave, and wondered where he was going in such a hurry, so he decided to ask Abigail what Bill was up to. As he walked to the café, he saw Cody throwing his baseball against the side of the fence, and he looked very angry. "Cody?"

Cody pelted the ball at the fence again, not looking up at Jay. "Marshal McGregor."

Jay could see he was upset about something, and he guessed that that something was the fact that Josie had been arrested, but he wanted to hear it from the boy. "What's eating at you, Cody?"

"I'm mad." The boy replied, still throwing the ball against the fence.

"Who are you mad at, Cody?"

"Sheriff Avery, for arresting Josie." He caught the ball as is bounced back, then threw it again. "Its not fair, she didn't do anything, she doesn't need to be in jail. And I though that Sheriff Avery cared about my sister. I don't understand why he would arrest her."

Jay knelt down to Cody's level, and patted the ground next to him, encouraging Cody to sit down so they could talk. "Cody, Bill was trying to protect Josie from a man who's come to town after her. He had to arrest her, or the other man was going to. Would you have preferred a total stranger arrest your sister and take her away before he could do anything about it?"

"No."

"Well, now you see Cody. Bill was only trying to help her." Jay handed Cody back his ball. "Don't be mad at Bill, Cody. He's already having a hard time, and it wont help anyone if you make it worse."

Cody nodded. "I need to go apologize to him."

"Well, it will have to wait." Jay said as he stood up. "Bill went out of town not ten minuets ago." He looked at the boy. "Are you alright now?"

"I am." He picked up his baseball glove. "Thank you Marshal McGregor."

"Anytime, Cody. Now you go run along, and don't worry, we'll sort it out."

"Alright."

Jay watched as Cody ran off to tend to his horse and he continued on his way to the café. As he opened the door, he almost ran into Abigail as she was trying to go out it. "Abigail!"

"Jay!" Abigail jumped back in surprise. "You scared me. I was just on my way to find you. Bill had to go out of town."

"I saw that, and he was in a hurry to. Where's he off too?"

"Albert Falls, to see Lucy Benson. He's hoping she'll agree to be Josie's lawyer, she finished college a few months back."

"I see."

"Anyway, the reason I wanted to see you was Bill asked me to get you to stay at the jail, he doesn't want the man around Josie."

"I can totally understand why." He moved aside so Abigail could get through and the two of them walked together to the jail. "I'm happy to do that."

"Thanks Jay, that eases my mind a little." She saw Ben and Georgette watching them from the saloon, and nudged Jay with her elbow. "Looks like they're settling in quite nicely." She spoke the words venomously. "After all the trouble they caused."

Ben saw Abigail and Jay walking to the jail and he couldn't resist the chance to tease them. "Oh, look who goes there! It's the murderer's protector." He yelled across the street. "Don't get any ideas about busting her out, you cow."

Abigail went to go give the man another piece of her mind, but Jay grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"Don't throw more wood on the fire." He hastily pulled her along. "Just ignore him, I'll deal with him later."

"I know." Abigail sighed. "That man is a word a lady shouldn't say."

"I agree."

"What's she got for breakfast?" Georgette yelled, egging her father on. "Tell her to enjoy it, cause her breakfasts are numbered." She said a few other words that made Abigail wish she could wash the girls mouth with soap. "Tell her to say hi to the devil for me when she goes to hell!"

Jay leant down close to Abigail's ear. "She can tell him herself when she lands a bunk in his apartment."

Abigail chuckled at Jay's sarcasm, ignoring the other insults and unkind comments they shouted across the street. "The quicker they get chucked out of town, the better."

Jay opened the door to the office for Abigail. "I'm working on that Abigail, I'm working on it." He closed the door, it blocking out the cuss words that Georgette was shouting to them. "Gosh, that one swears like a genuine trooper."

"I wish I could wash her mouth out with soap." Abigail chuffed, not impressed with the language they had heard. "And to think that she-" She couldn't think of the words to say, she was too angry.

"I wish I could shower them with lead from my colt, but that wouldn't help the problem much."

"It would shut them up though." She walked over to Josie. "Breakfast sweetie."

Josie yawned as Jay unlocked the door and Abigail walked in, then Jay went and unlocked Henry's ceil and invited him to join them for breakfast. "What have we got?"

"Blueberry muffins." Abigail replied as she pulled out some packages, then she looked at Wolf and Cougar, who eyeing off them their selves. "Paw's off you too."

Josie chuckled as she threw her two appointed guardians a piece of toast each. "I've missed these two a bunch while I was away."

"I bet you have." Abigail handed Henry his share of the breakfast. "Those two would do anything for you."

"They would." Josie patted Cougar affectionately. "They would."

"Where's Bill this morning?" Henry asked as he began to eat his breakfast on the bed beside Josie. "He was out of here before I woke up."

"He's left town on business. He's hoping that an old friend of his will be able to help with Josie's case."

"Who?" Josie asked.

"Lucy Benson, she finished her course at the college, and she's a lawyer now." Abigail cucked the pets some more bread. "He's hoping to be back tomorrow, so Jay is going to stay here while he's gone."

"I hope you don't snore." Josie tried to get some humour in the air. "Mr. Gowan didn't let me have a wink of sleep last night."

"Very funny, Josie." He didn't let on that she had woken him with her crying, it was something that no one needed to know, except Bill. It even surprised Henry that Bill had sat with her the entire night, just so that she felt safe. Underneath his hard exterior, Bill had a soft heart, and Henry knew that he loved that girl. He had been thinking after watching them last night for some time that if he had a father like Bill, things might have turned out differently, for the better. He handed back Abigail his empty plate. "I have to get back to work, so excuse me." He apologized as he rose to leave.

"Alright Henry." Abigail replied as she took back his plate. "Have a good day."

"I'll walk you out." Jay offered. He wanted to have a chance to talk to Henry out of earshot of the ladies. "I need you to do me a favour, Henry."

"Oh?"

"I need an extra pair of eyes and ears. I need to find out as much information about Ben Olsen and his daughter as I can. Think you can do it?"

"You can count on me." He looked at Jay, glad that he was able to help Josie in some way. "Thankyou for trusting me enough to do that."

Jay nodded. "I know that you know people in high places, and I need those connections, we have to stop him from getting away with Josie. He even nearly beat Abigail last night. He can't be trusted, and I don't want him anywhere near that child."

Henry couldn't believe his ears. "That low down skunk dared to try hurt Abigail?"

"When I got there, Abigail had the situation under control, she had her gun on him."

"I can see her doing that."

"She wasn't mucking around either, she would have shot him of I hadn't turned up."

"Might have been better if she had."

"Yeh, but that wouldn't be getting us any brownie points." He stopped at the stairs of Lee's office. "If you find out anything, no matter how small, you let me know, right?"

"Right." Henry opened the door and walked into the office. He knew just the person he would contact in his lunch break.

Jay turned and walked back to the jail, feeling rather relieved that Henry was happy to help them. When he got back in the office, he saw that Abigail had packed up the last of their breakfast. "You going back to the café, now Abigail?"

"Yes." Abigail replied as she stood up. "I'm need to wash these dishes, but I'll be back shortly Josie."

"Alright." Josie began to pat her mountain lion again. "Can you bring over a bone for wolf and a carrot for cougar.

"I sure can." Abigail replied as Jay locked the door, Wolf staying with Josie, but Cougar decided she wanted to sit by the fire. "I wont be long."

"I'll walk you over Abigail." Jay offered as he locked the front door of the office. He saw Abigail's inquisitive look. "Just extra protection."

"For Josie, or Ben?"

"Both." Jay replied as they walked to the café. "Wolf and Cougar would tear him to shreds."


	26. Chapter 9

**Anoth chapter here folks, and this will be the last for this story. I'm taking a break from my WCTH fanfic, so instead i'm working on a Spirit Riding Free fanfic. I'm just enjoying it more, so this series is taking less preference. Thank you to the people who bothered to review, they mean a lot.**

* * *

Josie sighed with boredom after Abigail and Jay had left. She gave Wolf a few pats, then yawned. "I'm so sick of being in here already." She whinged out loud to no one. "Now I know what its like to be in jail." She tried to keep the nagging fear of her impending hanging from her mind, instead holding onto the hope that Bill would be able to find a way out of the mess she was in, even though she hadn't done anything wrong. She sat quiet for a few moments, stroking her lion through the bars, then the front door unlocked and opened. "That was quick ma."

"I'm not you beloved Ma." Ben said as he entered the office. "Now that you and I are alone, its time for you to come with me."

"Not on your life." Josie snarled back as she reached for Cougars collar. "There is no way that your taking me anywhere."

"Oh, we'll see about that." He growled as he walked closer.

"How did you get in here anyway?" Josie asked as she held tighter onto Cougars collar.

"Oh, Georgette got in here the other day and found Bill's spare keys and made a copy for me." He admitted. "Was very kind of her to do that for me."

"Very kind indeed." Josie's eyes snapped, starting to get angry, Wolf and Cougar catching her anger. Wolf began to snarl, his lips peeled back to revel a nice set of canines, and Cougar started to hiss and growl.

"Awe, getting upset, are we?" Ben asked the two animals, which wasn't a smart move. Wolfs reply was to jump at the bars and try to attack the man standing on the outside, then Cougar really began to get angry. "Pussy cat doesn't like me hey?"

"Get out of here before she tears you to pieces." Josie warned as she struggled to hold onto the fighting cat. "Before she rips my arm off."

"Oh, poor pussy cat." Ben teased in her face, again, not a very smart move.

Josie knew that with one word, she could command Cougar to kill this man, and have it all over and done with, but then she knew that the people would want her pet destroyed. She didn't want to take that change, but she decided that she would let Cougar have some fun, seeing as the man was too drunk to be able to shoot straight. She let the collar go, whispered the command for chase and waited for the fun to begin.

With a fierce roar, Cougar leapt forward, charging straight at the man. Ben's face turned to one of horror and he ran out to the door into the street, the lion following him. Cougar caught up to him in two strides, then leapt knocking him facedown in the middle of the street, Ben getting a nice mouth full of gravel for his trouble.

As Ben rolled over, he was treated to a very formidable sight. Cougar was standing on top of him, teeth bared, snarling; her face so close to his that her saliva began to drip on his. She snarled again in his face, then roared, the sound making the townspeople come running. She wanted to kill this man, but yet Josie hadn't given her the command. With another snarl close to his face, she stepped off him and stalked back into the jail, walking like she owned the place.

Georgette ran over and helped her father up. "Why didn't you kill it?"

"I don't know." He replied, his voice still slurry from his recent drinks at the saloon. "I just couldn't I guess."

"You couldn't?" Georgette exploded. "If you don't kill that lion, then I will!" she got out her gun and went to aim for Cougar, when there was suddenly a shot from down the road, then a searing pain shooting through her wrist, making her drop the gun. She looked up to see Jay McGregor standing there, his gun still smoking from being fired.

"I wouldn't try that again if I were you." Jay said as Cougar walked over to him and sat down at his feet. "You nearly shot a law officer."

Georgette looked at him, and said a few words that the adults there had to cover the kids ears when she spoke them. "That thing is a savage mountain lion, not a law officer. She should be destroyed."

"For doing her job?" Jay asked as he gave her a pat well done. "Meet Deputy Cougar, head of security. She keeps the criminals where they belong, and might I add, that if Josie had told Cougar to kill you father, he would no longer be breathing this instant, so shut up." He saw the looked that the woman fired in his direction, but ignored them. "Right folks, move on, nothing to see here." He sighed as he walked Cougar back to the jail after the crowd dispersed. He would be glad when they left town.

* * *

Bill pulled Jerry to a stop out fount of Lucy's house and dismounted, giving Jerry a pat well done as he tied him to the porch post. They had made the trip in good time, considering that in some places the snow was still very thick and made the going tough. He walked up the steps and knocked on the door. He didn't have to wait long for it to open. "Lucy."

Lucy's face lit up when she saw him. "Mr. Avery. Come in." She moved aside to let him enter. "What a surprise." She walked over the stove where she had a pot of coffee boiling. "Would you like a cup of coffee?" She asked as he sat down.

"Yes, thank you." Bill replied, then waited till she had sat down. He picked up the cup she handed him and took a sip. "Not bad."

Lucy chuckled. "I know you didn't come here just for my terrible coffee." She joked, but she could see that there was something else on his mind. "And I'm guessing that this isn't just a social call."

"Your right Lucy." Bill sighed as he pulled out a photo of Josie from his pocket. Lucy hadn't seen Josie "I'm here because of her."

Lucy looked at the picture. "She's beautiful, who is she?"

"My adopted daughter, Josephine. She's in trouble, and I need your help."

"I'll help in anyway I can." Lucy offered. "What kind of trouble?"

"Its like this. She got kidnapped by McCallister-" He was cut off by Lucy interrupting.

"McCallister? I heard about his trial, I was very interested about his case. One of my teachers was present at that."

Bill nodded. "As I was saying, she was kidnapped by McCallister and taken to Denver. He also hired men to watch her, but she got away. Turns out that one of the girls that came back with her works for him, and she's making a whole pack of trouble. Josie killed three men in self-defence in Cheyenne when she went through the town." He ignored Lucy's little gasp. "And now the girls father came to Hope Valley yesterday and is trying to take her back to Wyoming to stand trial, because one of the men she killed was his brother. His brother was the one who assaulted her in the town's store and tried to kiss her, and she took off, and then in the scuffle that occurred three men were killed."

"And they're trying to frame it for murder?"

"Exactly." Bill handed her his notes he had taken of everything Josie had told him. "You'll find everything you need in this briefcase, if you want to take the trial on. I wouldn't blame you if you don't want to."

"No, I'll take it, Mr. Avery." Lucy assured as she took the briefcase. "When do we return to Hope Valley?"

"We leave tomorrow, at dawn."

* * *

By the time that Bill and Lucy arrived in Hope Valley, the next day, Judge Parker had already beaten them there, having gotten an early stage. As they rode into town, Judge Parker saw them stop their horses in front of the Jail from the saloon porch and walked over to them as they dismounted. "Bill Avery."

Bill turned around, surprised to see him so soon. "Judge Parker, thanks for coming on short notice." He looked down at Lucy standing next to him. "Judge Parker, meet Josie's lawyer, Miss Lucy Benson."

Judge Parker shook the ladies hand. "Miss Benson."

"Judge Parker."

Judge Parker turned back to Bill. "I've already meet the Plaintiff, and might I add, it doesn't look good."

"I know." Bill gave his horse a pat and gave him a drink of water, then glanced back at the judge. "When's the hearing?"

"Eight o'clock tomorrow. In the saloon." He looked at Bill. "I know how much she means to you, but I have to be impartial, and make my decisions based on the evidence provided."

"I understand." Bill shook his hand. "Thanks for coming anyway, you're the only person who agreed to hear the case. The decision you make tomorrow, I know will be based on the truth, not biased opinion."

"Thanks Bill." Judge Parker patted Bill's shoulder. "I just hope that you have enough evidence for Josie. Were there any witnesses?"

"Two." Bill sighed as he thought of what Snow Maiden had turned out to be. "One of them is the Marshal's daughter, and she's on her father's side, pressing charges. The other is Amelia Smith, she's been staying with a family here. I will let her know about the trial, and she'll be there."

"Alright." Judge Parker turned to leave. "Good luck."

Bill watched him walk back to the saloon, then he led Lucy into the Jail. As he opened the door, he saw Jay sitting at his desk, and Abigail still with Josie. "I'm back."

Jay looked up. "Thank goodness you're here."

"What's happened?"

"Ben has a copy of all the keys to the door and the ceil. He came in here yesterday after you left, and Josie had Cougar chase him out."

"How on earth did he get those?"

"Apparently Georgette got them and made a copy, and I wouldn't put it past them coming back. Then she went to shoot Cougar, so I shot her through the wrist to stop her, and let's say, it only made them madder."

"I can see why." He motioned for Abigail and Josie to join them, then sat down. "I would have loved to see the look on his face when she chased him out. Now." He looked at Lucy. "Abigail, Josie, meet Lucy Benson. She has agreed to be the lawyer in this case."

"Thank you for coming." Abigail said sincerely as she shook her hand. "I was getting worried that no one would help."

"Well, I'm here now, and Mr. Avery has already filled me in on what has happened. I'm sure that we can convince the Judge that it was in self-defence, with Amelia's witness statement."

Josie sighed with relief. "I hope your right, but I don't think that Ben Olsen will give up that easily."

"I expect not." Lucy replied as she took the cup of coffee Jay handed her. "Do you know who is on Ben's side in this case?"

"Someone Ben knows." Jay spat his name out like it had a nasty taste. "One of his high up friends, I'm guessing."

"Probably." Bill agreed. "The trials at eight tomorrow morning, Jay, I need you to go out to Langara and let Amelia know, she's our only witness for Josie."

"Alright." Jay stood up. "I'm on it now. He walked out and made his way to the livery barn to collect his horse, then he mounted up and made the half' hours ride to the ranch. When he pulled his horse to a stop at the corral, Matt walked out to meet him. "Matt."

"Jay." Matt handed him a bucket of water for the horse. "I heard the news about Josie, I gathered that's why you're here."

"You guessed right." He dismounted his horse and tied him to the fence. "Is Amelia here?"

"No, she just left." Matt explained. "You only missed her by ten minutes. She was headed towards town, didn't you see her on your way here?"

"No, I didn't." Jay replied. This was getting weirder by the moment.

* * *

Bill and Lucy were going back over their evidence that night when Josie began to have another coughing fit, waking up Henry. Bill got up from his chair and walked over to Josie. He unlocked the door and walked in, placing his arm around Josie as he handed her a cup of water. "Take it easy, drink it slowly."

Josie nodded as she took her handkerchief away from her mouth and took a drink. She took a couple deep breaths, then coughed again, a fierce hacking cough. "That's better."

"Take another drink, slowly." He prompted, her, then as he looked down, he saw bright red blood on Josie's handkerchief, then he saw a bit of blood on her lip as she took another sip. "How long have you been coughing up blood?"

"That's the first time." Josie admitted. "I haven't coughed up any before."

"After the trial tomorrow, I'm going to take you to see Doc Shepherd." He saw her about to protest. "No argument, missie. You'll do as I say." He put his arm around her and gave her a hug. "You get some sleep now."

"Yes, Bill." She nodded as she handed him her cup, then climbed in under the blanket. "Can you stay with me till I'm asleep?"

"Sure, let me just get you a couple more blankets." He walked out, then came back with the blankets off his bed. "You need to stay warm."

"Thanks." Josie snuggled down, and went to sleep, reassured that Bill would stay with her.

Bill sat beside her with his arm around her, till he made sure that she was still asleep, then he slipped out of the ceil and went to go back over to his desk, but Henry stopped him.

"Bill?"

Bill walked over to him. "Yes?"

"Is she alright?" Henry asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"She'll be fine." Bill didn't want to talk about it. "Night Henry." He walked back over to Lucy. "Its getting late, how about I walk you over to the saloon and get you checked into the motel. We've been working on this case so much that you haven't had the chance to get a room."

"I'd appreciate that Bill." Lucy said as she stood up. "What about Josie though?"

"She's asleep." He opened the door for her and walked her across the road to the saloon, then opened its door for her. As he closed the door, he heard two people walking over to them. He knew who they were without having to look. "Marshal Olsen, Miss Olsen."

"Well, lookie who's here." Georgette teased. "Come for a drink, have we?"

"If you'll excuse us, Miss Benson needs to get to her room." He tried to walk past them, but they stood in front and stopped them.

"You better pray for a miracle." Ben snarled. "cause your daughter's going to be leaving tomorrow with us back to Wyoming, no matter what you try and pull."

"Lucky for her, I believe in miracles." Bill replied, equally as sternly, sensing that Lucy was getting angry also. "Now, let us pass."

Georgette turned on Lucy. "I hear you're the idiot who has decided to take on Josie's case." She glared at her. "We can make sure that your career as a lawyer stops right here."

Something in Lucy ignited, making her stand her ground. She was no shrinking violet, and she wasn't about to let that woman intimidate her. "Get out of my way, or-"

"Or what?" Georgette threatened. "Going to hit me with a feather?"

Lucy didn't answer, instead she did a little trick that she had used more than once on a school bully. She stamped on Georgette's big toe as hard as she could, then hastily apologized. "Oh, I'm so sorry." She shoved Georgette aside as she hopped around, then grabbed Bill by the hand. "Come on."

"Nice trick." Bill whispered as they walked over to the Bartender to get Lucy a room. "I can't wait till they're on their way out of town."

* * *

Jay was riding on his way to town the next morning as she sun was just starting to rise when he heard a horse coming up fast behind him. He turned around to look, and saw that it was Matt. "Matt, what's the hurry?"

Matt pulled his horse to a sliding stop. "Amelia didn't return last night, and then her horse returned without her this morning. I'm worried Jay."

"Right." He quickly thought for a few moments, then he realised what could have happened. "I'm thinking that she might have had assistance in disappearing."

"I'm thinking the same thing." Matt nudged his horse forward. "I wouldn't put it past those two doing something to her."

"We need to tell Bill." Jay spurred his horse forward into a gallop, and the two men raced their horses to Hope Valley in the rising sunshine. Jay and Matt rode to the Jail and stopped their horses out in front of it, then quickly dismounted and ran inside.

Bill heard the door open and looked up from his desk to see Jay and Matt hurry in. He put his finger to his lips. "Sssh, Josie's asleep still."

Jay nodded and quickly walked over to him, Matt by his side. "Amelia has gone missing."

"When?" Bill looked at Matt.

"Yesterday she was coming in to town, and she didn't come back. Did you see her?"

"No." Bill replied. "But I was in here most of the day." He stood up and walked over to Henry, who was just making his bed. He unlocked his door. "Henry, we need to talk to you."

"Alright." Henry left what he was doing and joined the little group. "Yes?"

"Amelia has gone missing." Jay explained. "Did you see her yesterday? At all?"

"No." Henry shook his head. "I haven't seen her since three days ago. When did she go missing?"

"She was coming into town yesterday, but she didn't come back home, and I didn't see her when I rode out to Langara." Jay looked at the clock. "We don't have much time before the trial starts, we need to find her, and quickly."

"Your right, but how?" Henry asked. "We don't know where she's gone."

In a split second, Jay made up his mind. "Henry did you get any information on Ben or Georgette for me?" He ignored the look that Bill gave him. "Anything?"

"Not yet, but I'm still waiting for a few more replies. I'll let you know as soon as I hear anything."

"Thank you, Henry." He looked at Bill. "Matt and I need to go and find Amelia. Can I take Buddy with me?"

"Sure." Bill motioned for Buddy to rise from the floor and he gave the wolf a pat. "Go with Jay." He commanded, then turned back to Jay. "Why aren't you using Kinchie?'

"Oh, I am, but two wolves are better than one, aren't they?"

"I agree." He looked at the time. "You two better get moving."

"Right." He clicked his fingers for Buddy to follow, then they left the building. Jay looked up at Bill and Henry as he mounted. "Good luck."

"You too." Bill shouted as the two men with the wolves galloped out of town, not noticing Ben Olsen hiding behind a building sending three men after them…

* * *

"All arise." Judge Parker commanded as he walked into the room, then after he sat down. "Be seated please." He looked at the court. "We are here today to decide if there is enough evidence to warrant Josie Blackwell being extradited to America." He looked at Bill. "Would Bill Avery please come to the stand?"

Bill gave Josie a reassuring look, hating this as much as she was, then he stood up and walked over to the witness stand.

"Do you swear to tell the truth? The whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"I do."

"You may sit down."

The prosecutor stood up and began his questioning. "What is your relationship to the defendant?"

"Adopted father."

"Legally?"

"No."

"So, I understand that she is not really your daughter?"

Bill was hating this more and more. "Not legally, she is just very close to me."

The prosecutor nodded. "Very well." He looked over the list of questions he had prepared. "When did you first meet Miss Blackwell?"

"About six years ago."

"Has she ever been in trouble with the law before?"

"No, she has always been an outstanding citizen of this town."

The prosecutor looked at Bill. "That is all for now. Would the defendant come to the stand?"

Josie looked up at Bill as she stood up and he stepped down. She knew that he wanted to say something to her, but he couldn't. She quickly walked up to the seat and took the oath, then sat down, feeling like she wanted to throw up.

"Your Miss Josephine Blackwell, I understand."

"Yes."

"You are brought here today on the charges of three accounts of murder. Do you protest?"

"I do."

"To what?"

"Murder." Josie was glad that Bill had prepared her well for this, but still it didn't make it any easier. "The three people I killed was not in murder, it was in self-defence."

The prosecutor looked around to Bill. "Does the defendant have a witness to support her claim?"

"She is currently indisposed of. She will be here as soon as she can." Bill replied, wishing that Matt and Jay would hurry up and return with Amelia.

"So, you have no one to support your claim of self-defence. Is that correct?"

Josie hung her head. "That's correct."

He gave his next command. "I would now ask you to tell the court what happened on the 13th of September."

Josie knew this was going to happen, but she didn't expect the question so soon. She looked up at the town as she got her thoughts together, then started her statement. "When I…."

* * *

"Seek, boy, seek." Jay asked Buddy as he handed him a piece of Amelia's jacket that they found on the side of the road. "Seek."

Buddy sniffed it, then began to sniff the ground, Kinchie joining him. "Looks like we're on the right trail." He mounted his horse, then motioned for Matt. "Come on."

"I hope we can find her soon." Matt said as they cantered through the forest. "That trial would be well started by now."

They rode the next few miles in silence, then both Buddy and Kinchie stopped, wagging their tails high like flags. Jay saw them pointing and he slid his horse to a stop. "Found something?"

Buddy and Kinchie whinnied, then took off through a bush, Jay and matt following. As they looked out of the bush, the realized then was a cave behind the bush. "Amelia?"

Amelia heard the wolves coming in the cave, then heard Jay and Matt enter. "I'mf heeeere." She called, her voice muffled by the cloth that had been tied around her mouth.

Jay heard her muffled calling and ran over to the voice. "Oh, Amelia." He got out his knife and cut her free from the ropes she had been tied in and yanked the gag off her face. "Are you alright?"

Amelia nodded, then began to rub her arms and legs, trying to get the circulation going again. "I'm alright."

Matt knelt down beside her. "What happened?"

"I got mugged yesterday when I was riding to town. I don't know what happened, but when I woke up I was in here."

"Do you remember anything at all?" Jay prompted as he helped rub her legs.

"The only think I remember was I heard a noise from in a tree, and then I was knocked off my horse and it went black. That's all."

Jay nodded. "We need to get you back to town. Josie's trial would be in progress now. They need your witness statement, and we have to get back now. Can you walk?"

"I should, in a bit." She tried to move her legs. "All I can feel is them tingling, like pins and needles."

"We'll wait a few minuets then." He looked at Matt. "Bring the horses in here, just in case someone comes. We don't want them getting off with the horses, leaving us with no way of getting back."

"Right." Matt walked out of the cave, then came back leading the two horses. He tied their reins around rock, then walked back to Jay and Amelia, the wolves guarding the entrance.

Jay noticed he had brought the horses in. "Thanks Matt." He looked back at Amelia. "if I put you on the horse, do you think you can stay on?"

"I think so." She replied, then noticed Kinchie looking intently out the entrance and starting to growl. "I think they've come back."

"Who?"

"The men that where here when I woke up." Amelia explained. "There was six of them."

"Well, we'll be here to greet them, if it is them." Jay looked at Matt. "Do you have a rifle?"

"On my saddle." Matt went and got it. "What's the plan?"

Jay turned to Amelia. "I want you to go and take shelter behind those rocks, Matt, you come with me." He got up and crept up the mouth of the cave. "I know your out there." He yelled. "You might as well make this easy and come out from your hiding places and face me like men."

"Not on your Nelly!" One of the men shouted back. "Your never coming out alive."

Jay ducked as a bullet flew over his head, then he looked at Matt. "See where it came from?"

"From the direction of that big oak." Matt replied as he took shelter behind a rock as another bullet was fired in their direction.

"I'm giving you one last warning, surrender, all you all will be shot." Jay yelled to them, his voice matching the growling coming from the two wolves. "Don't make me kill you." Their answer was another hail of bullets showered in their direction. "Alright, you asked for it." Jay shouted as he got out his pistol, then the air was filled with the sound of gunfire. After only a few minutes, the number of bullets being fired at them began to reduce, till there were no people left shooting. Jay looked up cautiously from his rock, seeing three men on the ground, the other's on their horses making a run from them.

"Are they gone?" Matt asked Jay as he looked over the rock.

"Yes." Jay said as he stood up. "But I'm not taking any chances, they could come back. We need to leave. Now." He walked over to Amelia and lifted her onto his horse. He handed her the reins. "Wait here till I make sure that it is safe, then when I raise my arm, you two follow, and bring the wolves."

"Got it Jay." Matt replied as he mounted his own horse. "Be careful."

"I will be." Jay slunk out of the cave, moving from rocks and trees to have cover if they came back, but there was no movement. He crouched over and trotted over to the three men on the ground, and checked their pulse. They all were dead. He gave them the signal and the two people rode out of the cave to him. "Right, we have to go now." He mounted his horse behind Amelia. "Can you handle him?"

"Yes." Amelia replied as she felt the horse through the reins. She gently pulled them back to stop him from walking forward.

"What about them?" Matt asked as he rode over to Jay.

"They're all dead."

"We'll shouldn't we bury them?"

"We don't have time." He nudged Marshal forward with his spurs, the horse jumping forward into a gallop. "We have to get back before the trial ends."

"Will we make it in time?" Amelia asked as she guided the horse through the forest, following Jay's guidance.

"I hope we do."

* * *

Their ride back to town was uneventful, them taking a shortcut to avoid the men that had shot at them. As they rode into town, Henry saw Jay coming in and ran to meet him.

"Telegram came." He handed it to Jay. "And its just the ticket you need."

Jay pulled his horse to a stop and took the telegram, quickly reading it. "Good work Henry." He looked at the saloon. "How's the trial going?"

"Not good." Henry replied. "But it will be better when you two get in there."

"Right." Jay dismounted, then helped Amelia down off the horse. The four of them hurried in just as Judge Parker gave his verdict.

"I find the defendant guilty of murder. She will be extradited to America as soon as possible. This court has-" he was about to bang his gavel down when the small group ran in.

"Not so fast, Judge Parker." Jay yelled as he ran in, Amelia as his side. "Not all witnesses have been called to this case. This lady is yet to speak."

Judge Parker looked at the young woman, covered in mud, her dress torn and her hair dirty. "And who might you be?"

"Amelia Smith." She walked forward. "I'm the one that was with Josie when she was in Cheyenne."

"So then, you would be able to give evidence for Josie's statement?"

"Yes, your honour."

"I object! This is outlandish." Ben Olsen shouted as he jumped up. "You've already found her guilty."

Judge Parker glared at him. "Considering I'm guessing that you had a hand in this woman's disappearance, you have no reason for objection, but you sit down sir, now." He looked at Jay. "Good work Marshal McGregor."

Jay nodded as he walked Amelia to the witness stand, then handed Judge Parker the telegrams he had received from Henry. "I think you'll be very interested to read what this contains."

Judge Parker raised his eyebrow's as he read the telegrams. "Very good work, you may sit down, sir."

Jay went and sat down beside Abigail, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze as he looked at her. "I think I might have just gotten Ben and Georgette into hot water." He whispered in her ear, Abigail giving him a curious glance. "You'll see, and if my calculations are correct, it won't take long."

"Very interesting reading." Judge Parker exclaimed as he looked over at Ben Olsen and his daughter. "Very interesting indeed. I like the part where it says that your wanted on three accounts of child smuggling, six accounts of murder, and ten accounts of lying under oath." He saw Ben go pale as he spoke the words, then he heard the rippling murmuring going through the people gathered, listening to the case. He banged his gavel down. "Order! I said order!" He waited till the crowd calmed down, then looked at Georgette. "And you, you have a very nice record. Six accounts of horse theft, numerous accounts of assault, bank, stage and train robberies." He looked over the paper at her. "Would you like me to continue?" He made a smug smile when he saw the look on her face. "I'll continue anyway. Two charges of child smuggling and counterfeiting, trespassing and vandalism. I'm sure there's more on both of you, but I think that's enough for now."

Bill, Abigail and Jay looked at each other in amazement, how on earth did Jay find out about all of this?

"But this isn't my trial." Ben roared at the Judge. "That is nothing but a pack of lies."

The Judge glared at him. "It became your trial the moment you lied to me as to where you were when Josie apparently murdered three men. According to this, you were in Paxton, Texas, on the 13th, not in the saloon like you claimed. Now." He turned to Amelia. "I want to aske a couple of my own questions, if you please."

Amelia nodded and sat down on the witness stand, glad that finally they would have justice for Josie. They had gotten there in the nick of time. She took the oath, then waited for the Judge to ask his questions.

"I would like you to tell me what happened on the 13th of September, according to what you saw."

"Certainly." Amelia took a deep breath before she started. "Josie, I and." She glanced at Georgette, her eyes flaming at her. "Georgette went to Cheyanne to try and send a telegram to Mrs. Stanton. As your Honour would be aware, Josie had been kidnapped, and she escaped, with my help. We went there with the intention to get word back, and so when we got into town, we stopped the horses in the main street, and Josie went to the General Store to find out about sending the telegram, leaving us to watch the horses. I don't know what happened inside the door, nor am I going to speculate, but Josie came running back out and told us to mount up, we were going to leave. As we went to leave, the men in the town began to circle around us, stopping us from leaving. Georgette made a run for it, and I followed, thinking Josie was behind us. When I had ridden a little ways away, I stopped my horse, and looked back to see that the group of men had gotten very violent, and from what I could see, Josie was in danger. I heard one shot, then I saw Josie get out her own pistol and she shot three men, them falling down and then she galloped her horse forward, emptying her gun on the rest of them as she made a run for it."

"That is all?"

"That is all, Your Honour."

"One more question, did you think that Josie was in danger and her actions were justified, according to the situation she was in?"

"Most defiantly." Amelia replied with certainty.

"No further questions, you may sit down, Miss Smith." He waited till she had taken an empty seat in the crowd. "Based on the evidence provided by our eye-witness, I am pleased to give this verdict. Josephine Blackwell, not guilty." He looked at her. "You are free to go, and the charges will be dropped. They'll be a few things to sort out, but I'm declaring you innocent." He watched Abigail and Bill hug Josie, pleased with the outcome, then he looked at Ben Olsen and his daughter as they tried to slip out of the saloon. "Not so fast, you two." His spoke in a tone that meant not to mess with him. "You stay right there."

Jay saw them make a run for the back door, and just as Ben was about to grab the handle, he shot handle, blowing it out the other side, stopping them in their tracks. "Take it as a warning." He growled as he placed the smoking gun back into his holster. "Try that again, and I wont miss." He walked up and grabbed them both by the arms and marched them back to the Judge. "Sorry for this interruption, but I think you want to speak to these two." He said with sarcasm as he held them to stop them from running again.

"I won't hold that little exhibit against you, Marshal McGregor, I don't mind a show of good shooting." He turned to the two criminals in front of him. "You two are under arrest. You will be escorted to Cape Fullerton to await your trial." He picked up his gavel. "This court has rendered its verdict. Court dismissed." He banged his gavel down, and the crowd began to disperse. He got up and together he and Jay escorted the two criminals out to the jail and locked them up.

Josie looked Bill and Abigail, tears of relief flowing down her cheeks. "Thank you, Amelia, thank you." She cried as she hugged Amelia tight, not worrying that her clothes were getting dirty. "Thank you."

"Its alright, I'm happy its all over." Amelia replied as she returned the hug, then she looked up. "I think two other people are very happy right now that its over." She didn't want to take Josie away from them, this was their moment, not hers. She let Jose go, then motioned her to go over to Bill and Abigail.

"Oh, Josie." Abigail exclaimed as she hugged her daughter. "Oh, I'm so relieved."

"That makes two of us." Bill agreed, placing his arm around both of them. "I told you it would get worked out."

"Your right." She savoured the feel of them hugging her. This was her home, her family. "I'm staying here, where I belong."

"Come on." Abigail wiped her own tears of happiness off her cheeks. "Let's go home."


End file.
